A Curious Thing
by Konerok Hadorak
Summary: Mysteries. We hate them, but they exist anyway. No one hates them more than stunned shinboi who wake up in a strange world. Maybe the answers lie among the stars, and the war about to explode. Naruto/Hinata, Naruto/Star Wars/EVE Online.
1. Chapter 1: Shift

**A/N: Well, all i have to say is, I like to try new things. So far, Naruto/Star Wars crossovers have always been Nar-uber-to or Naruto adapting to the flow of life in the SW galaxy. I aim to break that chain. I pride myself on having unique ideas that no one has considered, or perhaps, simply not acted upon. With that in mind, this story was created a good four months ago, but I only finished it today. Mind you, i had the first scene done, but i did everything else last night and this evening. Anyway, hope you guys like it! **

**This story begins at the same time as Ep II and I have no idea where it'll end. Just wanted to throw that out there. Also, in case you didn't notice, this is Naru/Hina, and YES!! There WILL be eventual LEMONS in here, but not for a little while. (Sooner than you think, later than you wish.)**

**P.S. This will NOT end up like Bleached Elements. That story was pretty much a random idea I came up with. This, this not so much. This I've had on my mind for a good half year and only now am I working on it. I hope this will not affect my S&S update rate, and i will try and even each one out. Anyway, Read and REVIEWWWWW!!!**

_**A Curious Thing/Shift**_

"Well this is new." Tobi, or Uchiha Madara, muttered from beneath his mask. One moment he'd laid his head down to rest, the next, he woke up in probably _the_ strangest place in the world. He took a look around him and noticed the tall buildings, the noisy air, and the chill temperature. When he looked down, he saw why.

"…Oh-dang." He appeared to stand atop a large skyscraper, but this one was so much bigger than any they had in Amegakure. It transcended the clouds! He figured the high altitude was cause of the chill. _'This was not in my original plan…'_ He looked around.

No indication of a ladder. None of those, he couldn't believe he was seeing it, _flying_ vehicles were close. No chakra signatures around that could have possibly summoned him here… "A cold case. Nice."

Wait, there was another signature nearby. It was familiar too… No, it couldn't be! His disbeliefs were proven wrong when a large white bird swooped up in front of him. There sat, impossibly, _Deidara!_

"SENPAI!!" He once again adopted his Tobi guise and waved childishly at his "senpai."

"Tobi!? What the hell are you doing here? I thought I sensed a familiar presence nearby, but I thought you were dead, h'n!" Deidara was minus his cloak, but he still wore the same clothes he had on before he blew himself up. (That small shirt, chainmail, pants, that stuff.)

Tobi cocked his head. "Well if memory serves me right, you _are_ dead…" Deidara blanked for a moment before shrugging. "Hey, one second I'm blowing myself up, the next I end up here. Don't ask me."

Tobi sighed. _'If I subconsciously teleported myself here, then that's something I could understand. But Deidara should be dead. I can't explain that.'_

"Hey senpai! Is anyone else here? I only sensed you." Deidara smirked as he sat down cross-legged on his hovering clay bird and crossed his arms. "Give it a few hours; you'll be able to sense a whole lot better, h'n."

"Huuuuuhh?" Tobi drooped his shoulders and whined. Deidara formed a tick on his forehead. "If only I had clay to spare I'd blow you into next week!"

"You mean… no clay?" Tobi got wonderful ideas of how to annoy his senpai at the notion of him having no clay to use. Needless to say, Tobi allowed Madara a release from the stress of everyday life. That, and it was useful when living two lives.

Deidara blanched at the thought of Tobi doing whatever he wanted without restriction, but quickly added, "I _have_ clay! I just don't want to use it since I don't know where to get more."

Tobi knew Deidara kept large stores of clay in a secret location all the time. To help him out, he might be able to create a seal on his clay pouches that would constantly refill any clay used with clay from the stockpile. But would that reveal him as Madara? Well, it didn't matter anyway. Deidara was probably one of the people he was he was closest to in all Akatsuki.

"Hey senpai, come here for a second I wanna show you something!" Deidara immediately refused to move, not trusting Tobi. "Oh come on senpai! You'll love what it is, seriously!"

"Tobi, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that when you say I'm gonna love something, you usually end up stealing my clay and making sand castles out of them. That I wouldn't mind if I could blow it up in your face, but since there's never any chakra in them, I couldn't do a thing! So no. No, no, and no!"

Tobi suddenly disappeared from Deidara's vision, and only when he felt someone's hands on his belt did he realize where he went. "Oh come on senpai! It'll be fun!"

Deidara threw his hand around trying to hit Tobi in any way possible. Not only that, but the way he worded that sentence, along with him trying to get his belt off disturbed him greatly.

"H-h-h-EY! TOBI!! GET OFFA ME!!! What the hell are you doing to my pants, huh?!"

Tobi grunted as he struggled to get the bags off the flailing bomber. "Just-*oof*-hold-*ow!*-still!!" He finally succeeded in removing the bags, and belt.

"HAHA!! Got the clay! Now watch and learn senpai! I'll show you my new super-powerful-refilling Jutsu!" Deidara had to hold up his pants as he stood up on the bird, fuming at Tobi, but slightly interested in what he was doing.

After dumping the clay out, Tobi wrote some seals on the sides and bottom of the inside of each pouch. He replaced the clay and flipped through the hand signs. "YOSH!! There we go! My super-powerful-refilling Jutsu is a success!!"

Deidara blanked again. "What'd you do?" You could tell by Tobi's voice that he was smirking underneath the mask. "All I did was open a path-way for the clay from your storerooms to the bags. Now you'll never run out of clay! At least, you shouldn't. You had at least three-lifetime's supply of clay in those caverns."

Deidara's eyes widened in surprise. Tobi was actually _helpful_. That _never_ happened! "Well, better safe than sorry. So if all you needed was my bags, why'd you take my belt? They're not attached you know." Tobi snickered and pointed behind Deidara.

Deidara looked at him funny and turned to look at what he was pointing at. He paled as he saw what Tobi was indicating. They had been hovering right outside the window to the top floor of the building Tobi had landed on. Inside the window, Deidara saw what looked like higher-class citizens, all staring at him. But he could have handled that. What made him nervous, and frightened, was the fact that there were _girls_ in there.

Girls _his_ age. And they were holding their hands over their mouths and pointing slightly at him. Some he could tell were shocked, having been from the upper class, they were never exposed to such behavior, and the others he could see were snickering behind their failed attempts of covering up their humor.

He may have been a terrorist, but he's still a guy. And guys have both their pride and dignity to keep. That, and he was still a nineteen year old; he had hormones to deal with.

He immediately blushed, turning from sheet-white to raspberry-red in a matter of moments. "TOBI!!!! I'M GONNA FUCKING NUKE YOU!!!" Tobi cringed and immediately dropped the belt and clay bags and jumped back onto the building roof. Deidara turned around from the window and, still blushing put his belt back on. He then strapped his clay pouches on, and adjusted them to fit snuggly against his hips. As soon as he was done, he turned around leapt after Tobi so suddenly that he actually caught him and tackled him onto the roof.

"SO YOU THINK THAT'S FUNNY DO YA?!!" Tobi tried his best to wriggle out of his senpai's grasp. "WAAAAA!!! SENPAI'S FACE IS SCARY!!!"

Madara would have kept up the charade were it not for a buzzing in the back of his skull. "Senpai… My head feels weird."

Fortunately for Tobi, Deidara stopped attacking him right before he was about to stick a mound of exploding clay down his pants. "It'll be worse by the time I'm done with you!"

"No really! My head's buzzing!" Deidara quickly let him up.

"Wow, really? That was faster than me. Mine did the same when I came here. But you're a lot faster than me. I took a few hours; yours took only a few minutes."

Tobi looked at Deidara with a pleading look on his…mask. "But _WHY_ is my head hurting?"

"Dunno why. All I know is that as soon as it stops, you'll be able to sense people a lot better. That's how I found you."

Inwardly Tobi was thinking, _'Enhanced sense? Just by being here? I wonder if that means that our other abilities will be enhanced, not just sensing...'_

"Anyway. Let's go, I'm getting bored here. And don't say _anything!_" He knew Tobi was going to say something about the girls on the other side of the window, but stopped him before he was actually able to speak it. Tobi gave a depressed sigh, indicating he had been right.

He quickly jumped back onto his waiting bird and molded one for Tobi too. He tossed it and it poofed into life. Tobi hopped on and sat down. "YAY!! FLY-TIME!!" Deidara smacked his head as he commanded both birds to swoop down into the lower city.

He had been here for a week or too, and had been forced to scrounge for what he needed. Food mostly, but with his ninja skills it wasn't that hard. But the worst part about it was that he couldn't understand a _flippin'_ _thing_ anyone said! People would yell at him but he never heard them. Also, the weirdest thing was that there were things other than humans down here. Thousands of different species of humanoid, supposedly sentient animals lived here too. Though thankfully, humans were in abundance as well, so he didn't feel _that_ uncomfortable.

Deidara pulled out of their dive and they both soared through the traffic lanes. They occasionally had to switch directions because the flow of opposite traffic became too great. Deidara didn't care which was he was supposed to go, just the way he wanted to go. But now, he was searching for something that was egging on the edge of his mind, bugging him to death to find out what it was. It was a presence of some sort, but every time he tried to focus on it, it disappeared.

Tobi was sometimes having run, and other times he was clutching onto the bird for dear life. Deidara had to laugh at his partner's actions.

'_He's just like a kid. H'n.'_

"SENPAI!!!" Tobi's screech brought Deidara back to reality. He grunted as he swerved their birds out of the way of two of those flying vehicles. "Gah!! Air hogs!!" Deidara shouted back at them. He turned back around and shook his head. He needed to concentrate on his flying in this city, you never know when someone might try to intentionally ram you.

He and Tobi continued until the flow of traffic was going to same direction as them. "Ahh, finally. Some peace, h'n!" Deidara sat down Indian style and lifted his head up, letting the foreign air blow over his face.

He then felt the presence reassert itself in his senses, and using his eye-scope he began to search.

"Well, I can tell it's someone from Akatsuki, since they seem so familiar, but I can't tell who. Tobi, see if you can find anyone around from Akatsuki." Tobi saluted. "Roger that! Searching…Searching…"

Deidara let Tobi ramble on about searching as he scanned the surrounding area for the presence he knew was he somewhere. It kept appearing and disappearing, but he finally got a lock on it after a minute or two, and as soon as he did, it stopped disappearing.

"Oi, Tobi, it's down here. Get ready for anything." They swooped down, ignoring the baffled expressions of some of the fellow flyers, and unintelligible curses of others. As soon as they were about fifty feet from the crowded pedestrian sidewalk, both birds poofed out of existence and the two Akatsuki landed feet first in a crouching position, much the astonishment of said pedestrians. Deidara looked around and spotted a patch of green. A _tall_ patch of green. As soon as Deidara caught sight of it, it disappeared into an alley way. He and Tobi chased after it, finally ending up in a dead end.

"Hmm, senpai, your aim seems a little off today… maybe it's the air…" He pondered quietly, but not so quiet for Deidara not to hear. As such, he had a tick on his forehead.

"I'm not wrong Tobi, I know it came from here."

"So it did." The voice was instantly recognizable. One, it was in their language, and two, Tobi knew it _very_ well. "Zetsu-san!"

Zetsu stood in his usual garb behind them blocking the way out of the alley. He seemed, in a way, relieved to hear Tobi's voice, knowing who he really was.

"Tobi, Deidara, have you found anyone else?" Tobi shook his head back and forth extremely fast. Deidara did the same, but considerably slower. "**I see. **Well, were not the only ones here, just so you know; Leader sent me to find others, and so far,** I've found you two, and that's it.**"

Deidara had a surprised look on his face. "The Leader's here?! Geez, what's going on around here?! First I die, then I'm here, then you guys are here…!" Zetsu nodded.

"**I know.** I was actually surprised to have spotted your clay birds when I was searching. **You were flying pretty fast too. **So I let you feel my presence so you could get the approximate idea of my location. Then when you got close enough I just stopped holding it in. **Good to see you both though, Leader told us all to mourn for you when you died.**"

Deidara huffed and looked away. "Don't talk about stuff like that man; I'm still depressed that I'm technically dead. H'n."

Tobi put his arm on Deidara's shoulder and nodded. "That's right Zetsu-san! You have to be careful; if he gets depressed, he always goes and gets lit up."

"Teme!" Deidara raised his fist to his the poor Uchiha, but Tobi, smartly, ducked away.

"**Children! We don't have time for this.** Leader is trying to contact any and all Akatsuki members here."

As if on cue, they each felt the Leader's mind link up with theirs. "That would be him I guess."

"**In that case, we better get into a position where we can talk.**" Zetsu nodded to the top of the large building, and promptly phased into the side of it. Deidara and Tobi both followed after him, running up the side of it. Fortunately this wasn't a very tall building, or else their legs would have given out long before they reached the top. Zetsu was ready and waiting for them to join him. Both of them sat down and got into a meditative stance, but with their hands in the ram seal.

Pain watched as two more silhouettes joined them. One had hair the covered the left side of his face, leaving only one, grey eye to look at. The other you couldn't even see the eye as it was hidden but the shadow of the full face mask he wore. Pain looked from Zetsu to the other two.

"_Ok, sound off. Who all's here?"_ They felt the voice enter their minds.

"_Deidara. Yes, I'm alive."_

"_Tobi reporting for duty, SIR!!"_

"_**And of course I'm here.**__"_

"_Good. And good to see your alive Deidara. Everyone thought you died."_

"_I'm saying this only once: Please… do not remind me."_ Deidara said this with a scowl on his face. Somehow, Pain knew he was scowling too.

"_Fine. Anyway, it seems were in an odd predicament. We go to sleep and then we wake up here. That's how it was for Zetsu and I. What about you Tobi?"_

"_Well, it's pretty much the same as you guys; sleeping, then 'WHAM!' I'm here."_ Tobi explained. Pain nodded and turned back to the others. _"All right then. We have to postpone our hunt for the Bijuu until we find a way back home."_

He got a few confused stares as he said that. _"I've learned that the city we are in is actually the size of a planet, and not only that, we've been teleported to an entirely different one. Planet, that is." _The others stared at him incredulously. Somehow, he knew they'd do that. _"So right now, I want you all to meet me in person to learn for yourselves. Zetsu will lead the way. Dismissed."_

Each of the images faded one by one until no one was there.

The trio opened their eyes and got up. "All right then, I'll lead the way. Try and keep up you two; it's a big city." Deidara was still trying to get it into his head he was on a different planet. _'Well, that would explain the tons of weird people here. But what the Hell?! Another planet?!'_

Tobi was having other thoughts. _'This is a twist I'm not exactly pleased to be a part of. We need to find a way home, or at the very least try and find the others.'_ He waited as Deidara molded more birds for the two of them, and Zetsu faded into the ground below them, leaving his chakra signature shining brightly. The duo leapt onto the birds and they flew off, following Zetsu's trail.

Naruto awoke on a hot, soft surface; the sun blinding him more than usual. _'Wait a minute… What's the sun doing in my bedroom?!'_ His only east facing window was in his kitchen, so shining sun = either a hole in the wall, or he's outside somehow.

He shot up with a start. His eyes opened with a start and he blinked away the fuzziness. The first thing he saw was sand. Lots and _lots_ of sand. "How the fuck did I end up in Suna?" But as he looked around, even the desert _felt_ different than Suna. Whereas Suna's deserts had a look of hope that you could actually _get out_, these deserts seemed to hold none of that. He shielded his eyes from the sun… or rather, sun_s_. "WHAT THE HELL?!"

He couldn't believe his eyes. There it was. _TWO_ suns, sitting right there in the sky. "Where the Hell am I…?" He got up and looked around. Seeing nothing, he knew just standing there was going to get him killed from the heat. He did the only thing he knew to do; walk, and keep walking until he found civilization.

'_Let's hope I find something soon. This heat is even worse with two suns. Wait, could this be genjutsu?'_ He attempted to release whatever genjutsu was cast on him, but he failed miserably; nothing happened. He sighed and began his trek to where ever he needed to go.

The first thing he learned about this desert; loneliness.

Back on Coruscant, in the Senatorial District, the external turbolift to a certain senator's apartment was barreling up the side of the spacescraper with a certain two passengers. One, calm and ready, the other… not so much. Anakin and Obi-Wan stood in the small lift as they ascended to the top, where senator Padmé Amidala was waiting for them to arrive. That's the reason the younger, more hormonal of the two was currently fidgeting in place as he waited for the agonizingly slow climb to end.

Obi-Wan looked aside and noticed his nervousness. "You seem a little on edge Anakin."

Anakin looks at his master briefly before returning it to the other miscellaneous accessories of the car's interior. "No, not at all."

"I haven't seen you this nervous since we fell into that nest of gundarks."

Anakin looked askance at him and corrected him. "_You're _the one who fell into that nightmare, Master, and I rescued you, remember?"

"Oh, yes…" The both chuckle briefly before Obi-Wan looked worried again. "You're sweating. _Relax._ Take a deep breath."

Anakin spoke without even looking at his master. "I haven't seen her in ten years, Master."

"She's not the queen anymore Anakin."

"That's not why I'm worried."

The car came to a stop at that moment and Anakin respectfully waited to his master walked out before he did so. The first being to greet them? Wouldn't it figure; Jar Jar Binks. The amphibian in question instantly recognized Obi-Wan and jogged to meet him and shook his hand hastily. "Obi! Obi! Obi! Mesa sooo smilen to seein yousa.

Wahooooo!"

Obi-Wan smiled at his old friend. "It's good to see you, too, Jar Jar." Jar Jar looked over at his friend companion and squinted. "...and this, I take it, is your apprentice...

"Noooooooo! Annie? Noooooooo! Little bitty Annie?" Jar Jar looks closely at the young man. "Noooooooo! Yousa so biggen! Yiyiyiyyi! Annie!!"

Anakin looked slightly exasperated at Jar Jar's actions but smiled despite it. "Hi Jar Jar."

Jar Jar enveloped him in a huge hug that Anakin was sure could have cracked bones were it not for his physical training that he had had in his years as a Jedi Knight. He put him down and guided them to a separate room nearby and knocked on the door. It opened to reveal Padmé and her captain, Typho. Jar Jar walked in and gesture to himself and then to the two behind him. "Mesa here. Lookie... lookie... Senator. Desa Jedi arriven!"

Padmé and Typho rise as Obi-Wan and Anakin stop before the senator. Obi-Wan steps forward and greets Amidala. Anakin stares at his long time crush, while she only glanced at him for a moment before Obi-Wan's greeting interrupted her. "It's a pleasure to see you again, M'Lady."

Padmé allowed her hand to be taken in his. "It has been far too long Master Kenobi. I'm so glad our paths have crossed again... but I must warn you that I think your presence here is unnecessary."

"I'm sure the Jedi Council has their reasons."

She moved in front of Anakin and stared for a moment. "Annie? My goodness, you've grown!"

They stare at each other for a long moment before Anakin, trying to be smooth, broke it. "So have you... grown more beautiful, I mean... and much shorter... for a Senator, I mean."

Obi-Wan looked disapprovingly at his apprentice. Padmé laughed and shook her head. "Oh Annie, you'll always be that little boy I knew on Tatooine." She smiled at him and he looked down, embarrassed slightly. Obi-Wan and Typho smile at each other at his expense.

The Jedi Master decided to change the subject. "Our presence will be invisible, M'Lady, I can assure you."

Captain Typho nodded to Obi and shook his hand. "I'm very grateful you're here, Master

Kenobi. I'm captain Typho, head of Her Majesty's security service. Queen Jamillia has informed you of your assignment. The situation is more dangerous than the Senator will admit."

"I don't need more security, I need answers." She said as she looked from her guard to her old friends. "I want to know who is trying to kill me."

Obi-Wan frowned. "We're here to protect you Senator, not to start an investigation."

Anakin seemed to have different thoughts. "We will find out who's trying to kill you Padmé, I promise you."

He's done it again. He bit his lip in frustration and shame as Obi-Wan gave him a dirty look.

"We will not exceed our mandate, my young Padawan learner!" Obi-Wan said.

"I meant in the interest of protecting her, Master, of course." Anakin retorted.

Obi-Wan was getting tired of these talks. "We will not go through this exercise again,

Anakin. And you _will_ pay attention to my lead."

"Why?"

"What?!" Obi-Wan looked at his Padawan incredulously. Anakin was quick to respond. "Why else do you think we were assigned to protect her, if not to find the killer? Protection is a job for local security... not Jedi. It's overkill, Master. Investigation is implied in our mandate."

"We will do exactly as the Council has instructed, and you will learn your place, young one."

Anakin bowed his head in defeat. Padmé, attempting to lighten the situation, spoke up. "Perhaps with merely your presence, the mysteries surrounding this threat will be revealed. Now, if you will excuse me, I will retire."

They all bowed as she turned and left. Typho turned to the Jedi. "Well, _I_ know I feel a lot better having you here. I'll have an officer situated on every floor and I'll be at the control center downstairs."

Obi-Wan nodded his head in thanks. Jar Jar went over the youngest of the group and murmured to him "Mesa busten wit happiness seein yousa again, Annie. Deesa bad times, bombad times."

Akakin barely even heard it. "She hardly recognized me, Jar Jar. I've thought about her every day since we parted... and she's forgotten me completely."

Jar Jar looked at him comfortingly. "Shesa happy. Happier den mesa seein her in longo time."

Obi-Wan turned to his apprentice. "Anakin, you're focusing on the negative again. Be mindful of your thoughts. She was pleased to see us. Now let's check the security here."

Anakin submitted and followed him. "Yes Master."

It was night time before the trio arrived at the designated rendezvous. Deidara and Tobi both sighed and stretched as they jumped off their birds and onto a small platform nearby, where Zetsu was waiting. "**He's here.**"

They waited for a moment before out of the shadows of the small ledge came a figure with rippling eyes, pierced face and long blond hair that flowed down to the small of his back. "For some reason he looks different than before…"

"This is a separate body that I can control. This body specializes in reading minds, and thanks to it, I've been able to learn quite a few languages from some of the civilians. I'm going to implant that knowledge into you, if you don't mind."

Tobi and Deidara were slightly shocked that their leader had such a handy jutsu, but nodded to each other and allowed Human Path to place his palm against their heads and inject the knowledge directly. They winced in pain for a moment before it subsided. "Now you should be able to understand what everyone is saying, but our core language is still imbedded in our minds. The others are more like secondary languages."

The other three nodded and shook their heads to clear them. Human Path continued. "Now, our job is to track down and locate any and all Akatsuki members in this new world."

"Wait wait wait wait… The information you just put in my head… are you saying that there are thousands of worlds in this galaxy?!?! How the Hell are we supposed to find them?!" Human Path turned to Tobi and looked at him. The masked caper in question shrugged. "It's possible for me to locate anyone I wish, and anyone I have direct contact with, I can search for them directly, and their pulse is stronger. I know exactly where everyone is."

Deidara's eye widened as Tobi's speech slowed and became more serious, not the high pitched obnoxious sound that normally came out of his mouth. This was, to him, unexpected. _'Tobi had a cool ability like that and I never knew?!'_ Deidara was currently shocked.

"Anyway, most of them are here on Coruscant, just scattered around. I should be able to find them relatively easy. I find it strange though…"

Pain cocked his head. "What is it?"

"I was just going to say that I'm also picking up other tracking signals, ones that aren't part of Akatsuki."

"You mean Sasuke and his group?" Pain inquired.

"Yes, and no. Sasuke's group is here, but not on Coruscant. But what I mean is people not like him. Others… I can't tell exactly who they are, but I know I've met them before."

Pain let the information sink in. "In that case, we need to find everyone we can and then group back together, get a ship, and get off this planet and find the others. Agreed?" He got a round of head nodding.

"**Let's get to it then.** I'll go north, you two go south, Pain will go… wherever he needs to go."

Pain nodded and brought his hands up into a ram seal. "Keep us updated, Tobi." And he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Zetsu melded with wall and disappeared. Deidara looked back and saw Tobi had already gotten on his bird, and was waiting for Deidara to join him. He did so, and sat down. "Tobi, since you have that location ability, tell me where to head and I'll go by myself; we can cover more ground if we split up."

Tobi nodded, oddly quiet and pointed toward the west. "Head that way and eventually you'll come across Sasori. I'm heading east where Itachi is; I thought you might appreciate that."

"Yeah, I do kinda, thanks. Wait a minute, SASORI'S HERE?" Tobi merely nodded. "What the fuck is going on around here?! Dead people just keep showing up!" Tobi grunted and shrugged before his bird flew off.

Deidara watched him go and smacked his head against his palm. "Geez, this is getting way too crazy…" Deidara's bird spread its wings and flew into the night sky, entering traffic with some of the skylanes that were headed westerly. _'This will be a long few weeks. I'm sure of it.'_

Padmé sat talking with Dormé, one of her most devoted handmaidens. "I'm so happy that you were able to meet that Skywalker fellow again, M'Lady. I know how much you care about him, if it's not too much to say."

Padmé smiled and nodded. "Your fine. I was just thinking about how I felt when I was told that Master Kenobi would be the one protecting me. I knew that Anakin was his apprentice, but the fact never actually hit me 'till now." Dormé nodded in understanding and helped her mistress get into her nightgown. She allowed her thoughts to stray for a moment and she giggled as a memory came to her. Padmé looked at her with a smile.

"What's so funny?"

Dormé held her hand to her mouth lightly, trying to suppress the giggles. "Oh, it's nothing M'Lady. Just something I heard."

Padmé looked at her with an amused face. "Come on, tell me. Don't make me order you to." She said in mock seriousness. Dormé nodded and turned her mistress around from where she had been combing her hair.

"Well, I was talking with one of the daughters of senator Shen, Arkari I believe, and she told me a very amusing story. It happened like this; she and a group of her friends were in a private suite elsewhere in the Senatorial District and were having a fun time doing girl stuff, when one of them looked outside the window and saw large bird hovering just outside." Padmé listened intently and smiled at certain parts. She gave a quizzical look to Dormé when she mentioned the bird.

"But what was even more interesting was that there were two men on top of it. One had a cloak on and a bright orange mask. The other had long blond hair that covered an eye. At first they weren't even sure he was a man." Padmé giggled at that.

"As soon as the one girl saw them, she pointed them out to the others and they all went to the window to see them. Apparently, they talked for a minute or two before one attacked the other." Padmé gasped.

"Don't worry, M'Lady, this is still a humorous story. After a brief struggle the masked man yelled in victory and sat down to fiddle with something."

Padmé gasped again. "My, they seem a crazy bunch, fighting so far above the ground!"

Dormé nodded and continued. "That only captivated the girls, as they felt it similar to a circus in that respect. Anyway, apparently the masked one had stolen the belt of the other man. He had to hold his pants up with his hands! Some of the girls, having been brought up in a proper society, were shocked at the indecent act, while others, laughed at him. They seemed to converse for a few minutes before the blond looked down at the window, directly at the girls." Padmé got that "Oh no" look and rested her head in her right palm as she smiled.

"The blond man went very pale and stood still for a good few seconds before he blushed incredibly red and yelled at the other so loud as to be heard through the window. They spoke in another language, so they didn't know what was said, though I have a feeling it was a curse or two. " Padmé nodded in understanding.

"The other dropped the belt and leapt to the roof of the building, as they were at the top floor already. The blond man picked up his belt and turned around trying to get it back on. When he did, he jumped on the roof as well and they presume they fought for a few minutes as they heard scuffles and yelling. After a while though, the blond man jumped on top of the bird and flew away, the masked man following him on a similar bird."

"After, the girls talked amongst themselves, some of them blushing furiously as well, not expecting the man's pants to nearly fall as they did. Needless to say, some _interesting_ conversation stemmed from it."

Padmé laughed at the story and instantly caught herself. "Dormé! You shouldn't spread stories like that." She said it with a smile though, and Dormé smirked at her. "Oh don't worry M'Lady, you're the first, and only one I'm telling."

"Well that's fine then. Just as long as you don't tell anyone else, you're welcome to to speak freely." They both laughed as Dormé bid her mistress good night and left her room, and Padmé went about setting up the security of her room.

**A/N: Yeah!! How'd you like it so far?! I know, Naruto ALLWAYS lands on Tatooine... why? Because I have a plan, that's why. Don't worry, you Naru/Hina, Powerful-Naruto fans will love this. (Not uber, just skilled) I'll say this again, this is at the beginning of Episode II. I dunno when it will end. I was deliberating on whether I should do this during the Yuuzhan Vong Invasion, but i didn't know enough about it to actually write it. So yeah, i know your gonna hate that part, you're gonna **_**LOVE**_** the rest!!**

**That's it for chapter one! Questions or comments are perfectly welcome! **_**REVIEWWWWWW!!!!**_


	2. Chapter 2: Search and Delays

**A/N: Well here it is, the next chapter of A Curious Thing!! I know it took me forever, and since i didnt have the internet when i wrote this, there are some missing elements, but otherwise, I think i did well. I went to colorado for a family reunion so i had plenty of time to write in the two day drivere, and two day drive back. Heehee! Anyway, not much else to say... Oh! Except:**

**I would like to thank **LonewolfBloodstorm**,** Mental Panda**, **kingchar1**,** Kage Bijuu**, **Dude4515**,** hellzanetruesdale**, and** TsknRaider **for their reviews. **

**Man... seven in one chapter... On the _first_ chapter no less... thats a nice number :D**

**READETH and REVIEWETH!!!!**

_**

* * *

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_**Chapter 2: **_

_**Search and Delays**_

In the dark of the night, two Jedi Masters walk down a long echoing hallway as they converse with each other.

"Why couldn't we see this attack on the Senator?" Came the voice from the dark skinned human, whose features instantly distinguished him as Master Mace Windu.

"Masking the future, is this disturbance in the Force." This voice came from a hunch-back dwarf, green skin and elf like ears dominated the immediate features.

"The prophecy is coming true, the Dark Side is growing." Windu said, concerned.

"And only those who have turned to the Dark Side can sense the possibilities of the future." Yoda said.

Master Windu spoke in a suspicious tone. "It's been ten years, and the Sith still have yet to show themselves."

"...Out there, they are. A certainty that is."

Windu rubbed his temples. His sleep had been growing more restless lately, but it wasn't like he was surprised by it, not with all the Sith, or at the very least Dark Side activity running rampant. "There is something else that concerns me."

Yoda turned his head to his college and friend knowingly. "Precede you, your concerns do; the appearance of a powerful Dark Side force... Troubles me, it does. Sense it, all the Jedi can. No doubt the presence of the Sith Master."

Windu nodded. "That can only mean one thing. He's preparing something." But there was something nagging at the back of his mind that he couldn't shake. He would need to meditate on it in the morning.

There was a long silence as they walked away. Only footsteps could be heard.

* * *

Madara had forgone his clay bird when he had been blindsided by an air-tram that had crossed traffic. Needless to say the bird didn't go down in vain. True to its purpose, the bird detonated, sending shrapnel flying everywhere and catching other nearby vehicles and sending them swerving. Currently he was standing atop another vehicle that was heading in the genehral direction of his query.

The person in question was a family member, and fellow member of the Akatsuki. Uchiha Itachi awaited Madara's appearance in this strange world, and Madara was a patient man. He'd waited nearly a hundred years, and he could wait a minute or two more. This was the very reason he did not teleport directly to Itachi's location.

He was taking in the atmosphere of the massive city-planet, understanding the permeating aura of the very beings that comprised it. He cocked his head as he felt the eyes of a familiar red image fall upon him. He looked with his eye and saw the distinctive silhouette of Itachi, standing high atop a building to his right.

He calmly got up from his sitting position and walked to the edge as the vehicle passed the building Itachi was on. He placed one foot forward and pushed with the other, propelling him onto the passing wall. He glued instantly against the matter below his feet. He hadn't even been thrown by the momentum of the tram. He stood stalwart and calm as Itachi walked down the massive barrier of transpara-steel toward Madara.

Madara stood below, with Itachi above, each looking at the other, ignoring the strange and wonderful sights the planet held.

"Madara."

"Itachi."

They greeted each other calmly in their native tongue, as Itachi had yet to learn the outside languages. "Am I correct in assuming this was accidental?" Itachi asked.

"Completely un-planned for on my part." Madara answered. "You would also be correct to assume there are others, were you to assume at all."

Itachi seemingly ignored him and walked down the building past Madara. Madara didn't even shift his head. "Lead the way." Was all Itachi said. Madara turned and cut the chakra to his feet and plummeted past Itachi who did the same, falling backward down the space-scraper. Both of them dropped at breakneck speeds toward the bottomless abyss of the planet's atmosphere.

Neither were afraid. Neither were concerned. Bother were perfectly sure of their abilities.

As they fell, the sky-lanes became visible to the naked eye, but with their trained eyes, they saw them long before any normal being could. Madara flipped around, now falling feet first and landing on a passing buss. He landed with a bang in a crouching position. He stood; the wind whipping at his cloak and hair as he looked back. Itachi had landed on an air taxi two vehicles behind him in a similar fashion.

Neither moved from their vehicle, as they waited for their rides to reach their destination. Night had already fallen on the city and the lights of passing windows and headlights, and the whine of repulsorlift engines were oddly soothing. Madara could feel Itachi's eyes on his back as they traveled. Madara sighed softly in slight annoyance. Itachi was simply too cunning for his own good. Or his brother's for that matter.

* * *

Deidara had had an… _interesting_ reunion with his master and they were now riding a pair of Deidara's clay weapons through the sky-lane toward the rendezvous. Sasori's expression of how he had been on the accursed city-world for nearly a month and a half before Deidara had found him. Deidara similarly relayed that he had been "dead" for nearly a week and had recently found out that other's had arrived, not only them. Sasori began to wonder if they hadn't all died and landed here, but as no one else recalled dying, that hypothesis was thrown out the window.

Both artists had been gliding in silence since then, and Deidara almost thought his former master had fallen off the bird. He gave a glance back just to make sure. There Sasori sat, cross-legged in an Akatsuki robe, but in his real body, rather than that hulk Hiruko. Sasori was slightly dismayed at having lost one of his most prized puppets, and admitted he was sentimental to it. The "boy" looked up when he felt Deidara's gaze on him.

"What is it?" Deidara blinked and shook his head. "Nothing, never mind."

Sasori raised an eyebrow but went back to looking at the passing buildings and lights, his head resting on his fist.

Deidara turned back to the front and almost didn't have time to swear as a speeder shot passed him. In that instant, even as his bird was readjusting to compensate for the sudden shift in mass, something just…

…snapped.

"_THAT'S IT!!! _I've had it with these damn morons!!!" Without another word, his bird dived after the offending vehicle. Sasori was startled out of his thoughts by Deidara's declaration, but didn't say anything when his partner zoomed away. He did sigh though; long and deep. He looked down at the bird he was riding on. "I hate to wait, but we'd better follow him. The little novice'll get himself killed. _Again._"

The bird "kree"-ed and banked to follow it's clay partner as it dived deeper into the city's level.

* * *

Deidara was oddly able to keep up with the sleek speeder. It was yellow and green, with two fork-like prongs on the front sides, and a round cockpit that curved around toward the back. Not like he cared about the make or model. He just wanted to teach the driver a lesson. A very explosive lesson. Riding his bird like a skateboard, he soared through the sky, following the semi-erratic weaving of the other. Apparently the driver didn't like being tailed. Deidara was surrounded by flak from a standard blaster pistol. He swore as he janked to avoid the beams of deadly light.

He learned early on what those lights were. He didn't know what powered them, but he had found that they complimented his long range techniques just fine. That's why he always carried one with him now.

He grit his teeth and withdrew from behind his clay pouch a DE-10 blaster pistol and raised it in front of him and fired. The red light lanced forward and nearly nailed the speeder in the tail. The other driver was having trouble aiming at him, so he took advantage of that and took his time. The wind whipping across his face cleared his hair away from his left eye enough to allow the scope he wore to focus in on the enemy. "Eat this!!"

He fired again and the bolt scorched the rear underside. The speeder jerked suddenly, the impact throwing it off course slightly. The driver apparently knew the danger and began weaving left and right, up and down, in an attempt to either shake Deidara off, or blast him, as there was a frequent exchange of fire from both sides.

Sasori sat contentedly on his bird high above, watching the deadly dance below with amusement. It was then his amber-grey eyes spotted another speeder that had been following the same course as his partners and the other speeder. "Probably authorities. Deidara better not have tunnel vision, or he'll get killed."

Deidara snarled as a stray bolt hit his bird and an explosion emanated forth. The explosion was shocking to by standers who either had been watching for a while, or who had just happened to glance up at the right time. But out of the cloud, a figure shot out and landed on the speeder that had shot it down. He crouched as the driver, who looked like a girl from here, attempted to throw him off with a barrel roll.

Obviously she didn't know that would do nothing. Chakra suctioned feet glued him onto the green vehicle. He pulled his blaster back out and took aim at the figures head. "Hope you like art; cuz you're about to become a nice work of it. H'n!" He pulled the trigger but his arm was thrown to the side by an unknown force. He looked wide-eyed at his gun-arm. He aimed again and, again, as he fired his arm was tugged away. He spun around and his scope-eye found a tailing yellow speeder. He growled and raised the blaster again, this time to the interferer. The girl inside the speeder he stood on took this momentary distraction to pull out her own blaster and aim up at the glass. Both fired at the same time. Deidara was thrown from his position as he instinctively sidestepped.

Into open air.

* * *

_**Five minutes earlier…**_

The Kouhuns lay on the floor. In pieces. Obi-Wan had dived out the window and had grabbed a hold of the assassin droid as it sped off into the night sky. Anakin had spared only the briefest of passing glanced to Padmé before darting out into the hall and to the external parking area. Quickly checking each speeder for the ideal make, he hopped in, choosing a modified yellow Sorusuub and took off for his master, who he was sure was going to need his help, like always. He pulled out and did a quick J-turn and sped off into the night sky.

After a minute or two of searching the skyline, he finally found his master, albeit free falling wasn't the way he expected to find him. Thinking quickly, Anakin pulled underneath Obi-Wan and slowed his decent to allow him to land on the rear of the yellow vehicle. Kenobi was able to haul himself up into the passenger seat from there. "What took you so long?"

Anakin gave wry smirk as he searched for the assassin. "Oh, you know, Master, I couldn't find a speeder I really liked, with an open cockpit... and with the right speed capabilities... and then you know I had to get a really gonzo color..."

"There he is!" Anakin saw the speeder Obi-Wan pointed at and zoomed after it. "I see him."

They weaved in and out of oncoming traffic, and the relatively slower right lane traffic. "If you'd spend as much time working on your saber skills as you do on your flying, young Padawan, you would rival Master Yoda as a swordsman."

"I thought I already did."

"Only in your mind, my very young apprentice. Careful!! Hey, easy!!" Obi-Wan was pressing the invisible brake on his side as they rocketed through the sky-lanes. Anakin deftly moved in and out of the oncoming traffic, across lanes, between buildings, and miraculously through a construction site. "Sorry master, I forgot you hate flying."

Obi-Wan was tense beside him, white-knuckling the handlebar on the side of the speeder. "I don't mind flying... but what you're doing is suicide!"

Anakin hadn't taken his eyes off of the assassin all the while. "Master, you know I've been flying since before I could walk. I'm very good at this."

"Just slow down! There! There he goes!" The assassin was heading through a line of cross traffic made up of giant trucks. The speeders banked sideways as they slid around right-angle turns between buildings, eventually racing into a tram tunnel, the two Jedi in hot pursuit. Moving in and out, they managed to keep on the tail of the rouge speeder, but when it took a right at a tunnel, Anakin bypassed it and went straight. Obi-Wan immediately voiced his concern. "Where are you going?!... He went down there, the other way!"

"Master, if we keep this chase going, that creep's gonna end up deep-fried. Personally, I'd very much like to find out who in the hell he is and who he's working for... This is a shortcut... I think." Anakin explained.

Obi-Wan looked at him skeptically but said nothing. Anakin turned up a side street, zooming up several small passageways, then stopped, hovering about fifty stories up. They both look around.

"Well, you lost him." Obi-Wan said matter-of-factly. Anakin turned to his master, but didn't look at his face. "I'm deeply sorry master."

Anakin looked around front and back, before spotting something. He narrowed his eyes and mumbled something.

"Well, this is some kind of shortcut. He went completely the other way! Anakin are you even listening-?"

"-Check that out." Obi-Wan looked at him blankly for a moment, arms crossed, before shifting his weight to one side and peered over the edge of the speeder. His eyes widened a good bit when he saw the flashes. Below them was a type of speeder dog fight. The assassin's speeder was now being chased by- he couldn't believe it –a white bird, with a man on it. Both the bird rider and the assassin were shooting at each other, forming an elaborate dance of death as they shot away at each other.

"Looks like we're not the only ones who want to catch this guy." Obi-Wan nodded but remained silent. "Guess we'd better follow them both." Even as they followed, Obi-Wan was trying to figure out who the bird-flyer was. "Maybe he's the contractor and the assassin's trying to run away."

"Nah, the assassin would know the risks involved, unless he wasn't told about it before." Anakin countered as he followed a safe distance away. "Besides, the contractor himself wouldn't show up after an assassination, and definitely not on the trail of the assassin he hired."

Obi-Wan could see the logic in that. It would give the contractor away if he did that. Anakin gave his theory. "Maybe it's a hit-man to take out the assassin if he failed the mission."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Then whoever hired the other wouldn't have known if they failed or not, not that quickly. A better question is why he's riding a bird." They watched as the assassin was able to get a lucky shot and hit the bird, which promptly exploded. "Well that's one down."

He spoke too soon. Out of the fireball the rider shot into the sky, miraculously landing on the roof of the opposing speeder. "Stars, he's persistent!" Anakin exclaimed as they continued following. The assassin's speeder attempted to throw the assailant off, to no avail; he stuck to the roof of that cockpit like glued paper. When the assassin gave up on that, the blonde pulled out his pistol again and crouched down.

"Master as this rate, they're both going to get killed!" Obi-Wan didn't need to be told at all. He already could feel the intent to kill from the blonde. He reached out to the Force and tried to persuade the assailant to cease his actions, but apparently, he had some sort of mild resistance to the Force and it had no effect. He shook his head and tried something else. He could practically see the man's finger pulling on the trigger. The Coruscanti thought quickly and waved his hand to the right. It had the desired effect.

The man' arm went flying to the right, but while Obi-Wan had been trying to throw the gun out of his hand, it only seemed to have messed up his shot. He could sense the man's confusion, and when he tried again, the Jedi master once again screwed up the man's attack. But it wasn't long before the man turned around and saw them. "Oh no…"

Even as the man raised his gun to _them_, Anakin was prepared to swerve out of the way, but an unexpected blast from within the leading speeder cause the man to sidestep off the vehicle. Even as the man fell, he was quick enough to grab one of the two tail fins of the green and yellow transport. Obi-Wan didn't even realize that they had been speeding up. When he did, it was when Anakin turned to him and said, "Take the controls." By this time, they were nearly right beside the assassin, and Anakin leapt out.

He hit the speeder and held on for dear life. The blonde man made it look easy, but it most assuredly was _not._ The assassin, felt the impact and sped up, trying to get the new hitch-hiker off, thinking the previous one had fallen.

The sudden increase of velocity caused Anakin to nearly lose his grip and he landed in a mirror position to the fellow blonde. They looked at each other for a moment before they both focused on trying to stay alive, and began to climb. The other was the first to reach the cockpit but had to duck back when his head almost got shot off by the expectant bounty hunter. However, she was not ready for Anakin to come in the other side and ignite his lightsaber. She instantly began firing at the Jedi while a peeved Deidara almost slipped off again when he dodged.

Fed up with this flying crap, he aimed his blaster at the front two prongs of the speeder and fired off a volley of shots, causing an explosion from the main drivers contained there. The explosion knocked both other passengers around in the cockpit and caused Anakin to lose his grip on his weapon, sending it flying out into the abyss of night. He had little time to mourn the loss as the ground was coming up fast. _'Oh am I going to get it from Obi-Wan later…'_

* * *

Obi-Wan saw both passengers fly off the vehicle as it careened into the durasteel walkway. Pedestrians all bustled out of the way as the flaming wreckage scraped along until it impacted a hard wall. The bounty hunter exited the wreck and examined it for a moment before dashing away from the long haired blonde, who rushed after him, followed by Anakin. When the crowd became too thick for the man, he jumped high and latched onto the wall, running along it while keeping an eye on the bounty hunter.

Anakin didn't have time to marvel at the man's feat, and pushed through the crowd as fast as he could. The bounty hunter stopped at an intersection and quickly ducked onto a nightclub, followed closely by the cloaked man. Before Anakin could enter however, Obi-Wan called out to him.

"Anakin!" The padawan stopped and waited for his master. "She went into that club master."

"Patience. Use the Force Anakin. Think." Obi-Wan said, maintaining his teacher tone of voice.

"Sorry, Master."

"…He went in there to hide, not run."

"Yes, Master."

Obi-Wan held out Anakin's lightsaber. "Here. Next time try not to lose it."

Anakin reached for the Jedi weapon. The Jedi master retracted it quickly and added, "This weapon is your life."

"I've heard this lesson before..."

Obi-Wan finally held out the weapon and Anakin grabbed it.

"But, you haven't learned anything, Anakin."

Obi-Wan released his hold of it.

"I try, Master." Anakin was very tempted to simply roll his eyes in annoyance, but restrained himself. Obi-Wan walked ahead through the club entrance with Anakin following.

"Why do I get the feeling you're going to be the death of me?"

"Don't say that Master... You're the closest thing I have to a father... I love you. I don't want to cause you pain." This was for the most part true, but it was also because he hated to be chewed out for messing up.

"Then why don't you listen to me?" Both he and his Padawan continued the conversation as they entered, keeping their eyes peeled. "I am trying."

They stopped near the entrance and scanned the assorted crowd. "Can you see him?"

"I think he's a she... and I think she's a changeling."

The Master leaned in slightly. "In that case be extra careful... What about the other one?"

"He came in here right after she did. But I don't see him."

"He shouldn't be that hard to spot. Keep an eye out for him too; odds are he'll be tailing our assassin."

"Two birds with one stone?" Obi-Wan shook his head in agreement. He nodded toward the main room, where multiple types of aliens and humans alike were gathered around the monitors, gambling tables and the near naked dancers twirling on the poles that were their "dance floor".

"Go and find them." Obi-Wan turned aside.

"Where are you going, Master?" Anakin asked curiously.

His master smirked at him. "For a drink." He said it in a way that said, _"What else did you expect?"_

Anakin shook his head slightly as he moved amongst the throng of people. _'I have to watch out for that changeling, and that other guy is nowhere to be seen.'_ As he moved farther away from his master, another figure began moving closer.

* * *

Obi-Wan sipped his drink peaceably, until a young brown haired human approached the bar and ordered a drink as well. He glanced over at the tan-robed figure. "What's with the get-up? Even in a place like this that outfit stands out." Obi-Wan glanced at him, thinking it weird that he wouldn't recognize a Jedi, _especially_ on Coruscant, but he'd seen weirder things. Men who fly on birds for one. Changelings thinking they can sneak up on a Jedi Masters for another. "Jedi. Excuse me for a second."

* * *

A few seconds later, Anakin heard the _snap-hiss_ of a lightsaber being activated and whirled to see his master cut off the assassin's arm. The entirety of the bar stopped and looked at the blue saber-wielding Jedi Master. Obi-Wan calmly replaced his saber and began to help the groaning female up. Anakin noticed the glaring looks they were getting and motioned them to carry on. "Jedi business, go back to your drinks."

Obi-Wan and Anakin carried the assassin into the alley and lowered her to the ground. Obi-Wan attended to her wounded shoulder. She stared up hatefully at Anakin. She winces in pain as Obi-Wan managed what he could and asked, "Do you know who it was you were trying to kill?"

The girl looked from one to the other and reluctantly began spilling her guts. "The Senator from Naboo."

"Who hired you?" Obi-Wan asked, briefly looking into her eyes.

She glared at Obi-Wan, but he wasn't looking.

"It was just a job."

"Who hired you? Tell us." Anakin opted for the _please do what we say_ act in hopes that she would do it. When she didn't he shouted it at her. "Tell us... tell us now!"

She glared hatefully, before caving. "It was a Bounty Hunter called-"

There was a sudden whizzing sound, and the girl went stiff. She blinked in surprise and tried to utter out the name, but all that came out were gargled sounds. Her eyes closed and her body went slack. As Obi-Wan laid the dead girl down on the street, she changed back into her Clawdite form. Both the Jedi were surprised, and yet not, by the girl's sudden death. It was not unheard of for contractors to take extraordinary measures to ensure nobody found out about them.

There was a _whoosh!_ from above, and Obi-Wan and Anakin looked up just in time to see an armored man with a jet pack take off into the night from a roof high above. He shot up fast into the sky and disappeared. The brown haired master looked back down at the girl. He saw a small silver object on her neck and reached down to pull it out.

"Toxic dart..." He said as he examined the tri-sided object. Anakin bent down to examine the body and Obi-Wan glanced back to where the armored man had been.

"Man, what a buzz kill." Both Jedi spun to see the same man that Obi-Wan had briefly talked to in the bar. He was holding a small white ball in his hand and was fiddling with it. On his left hip was a small bag, and on the other was a holster with a DE-10 blaster in it.

"We already told you, this is Jedi business." Anakin said to him. The man smirked. "I got some unfinished business with this chick. H'n." The man spoke as if he knew the meaning of every word he said, but it was spoken as if he was new to saying them.

Obi-Wan looked the man over, and spotted the weapon on his hip. Using the Force, he could tell, this was the same presence as the man who was attacking the female assassin. Somehow, he had changed his looks, almost completely, but this was definitely the same man. Anakin must have sensed his master's sudden surprise as they both activated their lightsabers at the same time.

"You're the man from before; the one flying the bird." The man looked surprised for a moment. He looked down at himself as if seeing what he was wearing, then looked back up to the Jedi, then back down again. "That's weird that you can tell. It takes a good sensor to detect someone's signature. Especially after only feeling it once." The man said as he held up two fingers to his chest.

A could of smoke appeared in their vision, but cleared quickly to reveal the same man who they had seen earlier. "It's a holo-cloak master. He can use it to disguise himself."

Obi-Wan pointed his saber at the blonde. "We'd like to ask you a few questions… if that's alright."

The man smirked. "I saw what those things can do. Cut right through her arm pretty easy. But swords are swords. You can't cut what you can't catch. H'n!" The man suddenly leapt up, and to the surprise of both Jedi, he landed on another level three stories high. He looked down at them and dropped the small white sphere. Both Jedi figured it was an explosive of some kind and they shielded their eyes. When there was no explosion, they both looked again and saw it was a rather large white insect. It was round, with three small ridges on its back, and six legs. Two black eyes stared at them as is crawled over.

"Master-"

"-Down Anakin!" The older Jedi just barely managed to drag his padawan to the ground before the insect leapt at them. Unfortunately, the sudden loss of targets caused it to over shoot and detonate against the alley wall. The explosion rained down permacrete and dirt as they picked their heads up. They looked up to see the man turn the other way. "Anakin, stay here and watch the body, I'll be back."

"But master-"

"Stay here Anakin!" Obi-Wan called out as he jumped up to the same level as the man. Upon landing he looked around and saw the man walking away steadily. Obi-Wan could feel the self confidence exude from him in waves. He ran forward and tackled the man before he even knew what hit him.

"Get the hell off me!" He kicked and got the Jedi in the jaw. Lifting himself up, he ran quickly to a nearby wall and jumped, sticking to it as he literally _ran_ up the wall. Obi-Wan watched with fading hopes as he saw another bird swoop in low from behind the building and the mysterious blonde jump off the wall and onto the bird as it passed by. It dived low to the ground before pulling up and into the sky.

"By the Force…" He exclaimed as he watched the bird disappear. He checked his lip to see if it was bleeding. It was, but only a little bit. No more than any other kick or punch. He replaced his blade and walked back to where he had left Anakin. _'Maybe I _should_ have let him help.'_

* * *

_**The next day: Jedi Council Chambers…**_

Obi-Wan and Anakin both stood in the center of the Council Chamber, with the members of the Jedi Council were seated in a circle surrounding the two Jedi. They had just given their report of the encounter with the assassin and her attempt on the Senator's life, as well as the Bounty Hunter who had killed the girl.

Yoda was the first to speak. "Track down this Bounty Hunter, you must, Obi-Wan."

"Most importantly, find out who he's working for." Added Mace Windu from his seat next to Yoda.

Obi-Wan turned to them both. "What about Senator Amidala? She will still need protecting."

"Handle that, your Padawan will." Said the green midget, pointing the middle of his three fingers at the Chosen One.

"Anakin, escort the Senator back to her home planet of Naboo. She'll be safer there. And don't use registered transport. Travel as refugees."

Anakin nodded but informed them that, "As the leader of the opposition, it will be very difficult to get Senator Amidala to leave the Capital."

"Until caught this killer is, our judgment she must respect." Yoda said, nodding to his own words.

Mace looked back at Anakin. "Anakin, go to the Senate and ask Chancellor Palpatine to speak with her."

Anakin nods and bows as does Obi-Wan and they turn to leave. "Just a moment Obi-Wan. Things to discuss, have we." Obi-Wan nodded first to his padawan, and then to the masters as Anakin left.

"This mysterious pursuer you encountered. What can you tell us about him?" Obi-Wan nodded to the black Jedi and bowed his head in thought. "He was young, from what I could tell. Long blonde hair, stylish cloak. That's all I can remember distinctly about him."

"You mentioned that he had a slight connection to the Force." Ki-Adi-Mundi said, from his chair.

Obi-Wan nodded. "My attempts to sway his mind during the chase were unsuccessful, which means he either has a strong mind, a small connection to the force, or is of a near-Human species that has a resistance to the influence of the Force. Of these, I am not sure which he is."

"What kind of abilities did he display?" Windu asked, his hands folded together.

"He also showed that he had, at the very least mild control over the Force, as he was able to leap to great heights and was able to use it to actually attach himself to a building, as well as run up it." All of the masters leaned forward in their seats.

"The Jedi have never taught a technique like that before, but it _is_ practical in use." Ki-Adi commented.

Obi-Wan nodded. "That's what I was curious about Masters. This man did not seem swayed by the Dark Side, nor by the Light. It seemed as if he were an entity all to himself, completely devoid of either influence. But by his actions, I would assume he was darker in nature. Is it possible to act evil, and yet be devoid of it, and indeed the Light Side?"

All the Jedi began to ponder that. "It… is not common; however there are records of Force users who have those qualities." Mace said after a long moment.

"Few and far between, they are. Uncommon, and difficult to understand. Dangerous, could this man be if our enemy he becomes." Yoda said in his usual reversed sentencing.

"Could it be possible masters that he could be a new apprentice to the Sith Master, or perhaps an acolyte?"

"But how would that relate to his attack on Senator Amidala's would-be assassin?" Asked a female member of the council.

"Amidala _is_ the strongest supporter of the Anti-Military Creation Act. Perhaps the Sith are trying to escalate the conflict in the galaxy by removing those with voices against it." Plo-Koon said, his long neck moving gracefully as he gestures softly.

"But that still doesn't explain the almost immediate attack on the assassin afterwards." Kenobi said.

The chamber was silent in thought.

"…Master Kenobi. Your padawan said that when fighting the assassin, the man made no attempt on his life, except when you interfered in his attack on her." Windu said.

"That's correct."

"Then perhaps the man is the same as the Bounty Hunter; an insurance that the assassin, if discovered, wouldn't talk." Ki-Adi suggested.

"Whoever this person may be, a danger he remains. Be ready you must, when you confront the Bounty Hunter. With him, he may be."

Obi-Wan nodded and bowed, turned and left the chamber. When the door had shut behind him, Ki-Adi turn to Mace. "Could this man have something to do with that feeling you've been having?"

Mace furrowed his brow. "I don't so. His presence in the Force seems too minute to cause me worry. I honestly have no idea what's causing my worry. I'll meditate on it, and see what I can come up with."

The other masters nodded and they adjourned for the day.

* * *

_**Tatooine: Judland Wastes…**_

A day of wandering had gained him nothing but anger and injuries. Those robed animals had attacked him without reason and he had been forced to fight them. He learned quickly that they used some sort of weapon he could only describe as chakra blasters. The weapons shot out this bright light that burned badly. He had killed them or left them incapacitated, but he took enough provisions and weaponry (what he deemed weaponry) and set out into the sands again.

But that night he couldn't help but feel this strong pull at his mind, as if something were calling out to him. He couldn't shake the feeling, nor could he escape the faint cries he heard in his dreams. He couldn't even tell who was calling him, but he felt only that he _needed_ to get out of this damn desert!

The next morning he experimented on the weapons he had taken and discovered that they didn't take chakra at all, but was more like they used pre-sealed chakra as power. How it was sealed into those small cartridges he couldn't figure out, so he learned he had to use them sparingly. The long rifle he carried on his back, while the smaller, hand-held version he attached to a bandolier he had confiscated.

For once, he thanked Kami that he wore orange so much; the sand was nearly the same color as him, so he blended in quite nicely. However, his peaceful journey was not to last.

Mid afternoon, he was simply resting by an outcropping of rock when his shinobi instincts kicked in and he ducked, just in time to dodge a red bolt of energy aimed at his head. A loud cry was heard and he whirled to see more of those robed… _raiders_… running after him.

"_Chekuso! What did I ever do to them?!'_ He mentally swore as he kept dodging attack after attack. He pulled out his hand held chakra blaster and shot at one of them, catching it in the shoulder and spinning it around. He turned to run but another blast hit his weapon and it exploded.

'_They don't quit!'_ He turned to run, only to come face to face with another wielding a club. It swung down hitting him in the head and dazing him. Others continued to approach, screaming that strange yell. He recovered quickly and leapt up to the top of the rock for a better viewpoint. From there he could see the surrounding area for a few miles, as the outcropping was singular and on top of a high sand dune.

"Oh crap." Over twenty of them had arrived, surrounding him. He swore as more bolts from other raiders fell around him. He stepped back but tripped and fell off the rock. Not like he would actually _fall_ off. He caught himself midair and landed on his feet. "…Looks like I don't have a choice."

He pulled out two kunai from his weapons pouch and charged, slashing the first creature's neck, nearly beheading it. The others didn't falter in their attack. He whirled and slashed again, blocking the mace-club one wielded and impaling its heart. He turned again and threw the two knifes, crushing through both skulls they were aimed at. He spotted a group of four nearby and flung another knife, this time with a small parchment attached to it.

It landed with a _*thud*_ and exploded, catching all four in its fireball. Even as he turned, five blasts caught him unprepared in the back and left shoulder, spinning him around, but he didn't fall. More bolts homed in on him, when he suddenly straightened and held out his left palm. The bolts impacted, but rather than burning flesh, they were disrupted by a flash of red that intercepted their path. _**'Enough playing around boy. Kill them already!'**_Naruto stood and glared at them, a cold aura surrounding him.

He pulled out a scroll and placed his palm on it. A poof of smoke accompanied the summoned item. The next creature to attack him was the first to discover what it was. An ANBU katana, extended slightly in length, and pierced through the creatures gut. It growled in pain as Naruto pulled up and cut through it from the stomach up. The blood splashed onto the sand. His eyes were red, with an altered feline pupil, and fangs protruding from his mouth. Another swung its club and the blond beheaded him instantly.

"…_Never_ tell me what to do." Blood poured from the fresh cut wounds and separated limbs as the Jinchūriki carved his way through the small horde of raiders. The last three took wary steps back, and fled.

The boy stood there, eyes glaring at the backs of the vicious creatures as they ran like fresh genin from a bloodbath. He swiped his sword and flung the blood onto the sand, using a nearby corpse' cloth to wipe the blood off.

'…_**You didn't kill them all.'**_ Naruto summoned a sheath from the same scroll and donned it, placing the sword within, and replacing the scroll into his pouch. "I told you not to tell me what to do. Your words are _suggestions, _not orders."

'_**Not **_**always.**_**' **_Naruto could hear the deep, muffled laughter from within him. He narrowed his eyes, which returned to their normal azure state. He always tried not to let the Kyuubi out, but sometimes, he just couldn't control himself. "Well get comfortable. It's not happening anytime soon."

Oh. If only he could see just a _little_ into the future…

* * *

……

…_How long…?_

…_How long have I been here…?_

…_Days… Weeks… Months…?_

_I can't tell._

…_It hurts… bad._

_I'm probably barely alive…_

_I should probably just die… Just get it over with…_

……

…_I can't… Strange. _

_Why can't I?_

_What am I holding on to?_

……

…_That's right. A dream… An impossible dream… _

…_It'll never come true…_

…_More like a nightmare…_

_It haunts me… _

_Every time I close my eyes... I see him._

_He comes to rescue me… but it won't happen._

_He'll never come…_

_Never… Naruto… _

_Never…_

* * *

Naruto's eyes opened. He was greeted by a host of stars in the black night sky, dotted with stars. He sat up slowly, shaking his head. He raised his right hand to his face and he rubbed his temples. He drew his leg up to him and rested his hand on the knee. He stared out into the dark dunes and sighed. "…Who is it?"

"_**Who's who?"**_ Though no one else could see the massive creature, Naruto could clearly see the phantom lying next to him, its red-orange fur bristling with the cold desert night air. Its left eye opened to look at Naruto from where it had been figuratively slumbering. Its red, slit pupil regarded its host carefully.

"The person in my dreams. I'm having them every time I close my eyes. I don't know who it is, what they want, or where they are. They just keep saying how they want to die, but they can't because… well…"

"…_**They're waiting for you. Even though they know you aren't coming."**_ The blonde nodded. The large creature closed its eye. _**"What you do is none of my business, but if you simply ignore the voice, you could regret it forever."**_

"I probably don't even know them."

"_**But they obviously know you. And they keep you near and dear to their heart; to call out **_**your**_** name to be heir rescuer."**_

"Ha! Who on earth would keep _me_ close to their heart?"

"_**Someone who has followed you from afar, and knows you for you. Not for me."**_

The blonde looked over at the massive creature. It opened its eye again to regard him.

"_**Whoever that person is, they obviously hope that you will rescue them. Are you willing to knowingly destroy that hope?"**_

Naruto shook his head. "I wouldn't even know where to start. Besides, it's just a dream."

Naruto crossed his arms behind his head and lay down. The creature kept its eye on him. _**"Do what you want. But try starting with the dream itself."**_ Without another word, the creature closed its eye and drifted back off to its slumber. Naruto glanced at it, but turned back to the stars after a minute. _'Start with the dream, eh?'_

He slowly closed his eyes and his breathing slowed as he drifted back off into dream-land.

* * *

……

…_How long…?_

…_How long have I been here…?_

The voice held no gender, but it was sad, and endearing.

…_Days… Weeks… Months…?_

_I can't tell._

Naruto peered into the darkness.

…_It hurts… bad._

_I'm probably barely alive…_

_I should probably just die… Just get it over with…_

"Don't give up." Naruto called out to the darkness.

…_I can't… Strange. _

_Why can't I?_

_What am I holding on to?_

……

…_That's right. A dream… An impossible dream… _

…_It'll never come true…_

…_More like a nightmare…_

_It haunts me… _

"Don't despair. I'll save you."

_But even now, it sounds like he's calling out to me…_

_Every time I close my eyes... I see him._

"Why do you see me?"

_Why do I see him?_

_Oh wait, I already know that._

_He comes to rescue me… but it won't happen._

"It will if, you hold on."

_He'll never come…_

"I will!"

_Never… Naruto… _

_Never…_

Naruto bowed his head to the darkness. His heart was heavy. Even if it was a dream, it was nearly reality to him.

…_But…_

Naruto looked back up to the darkness.

…_Maybe he will come._

_Maybe he will hear me._

…_I can't give up. He wouldn't._

…_Giving up…_

…_Is not our ninja way._

* * *

Naruto eyes burst open. He sat up in a flash, his eyes wide as saucers. "I know them... I know them!"

The slumbering giant next to him grinned ever so slightly at the boy's revelation. _**"Follow the voice."**_

The boy, though excited, looked at the monster skeptically. "How am I supposed to follow the v-?"

At that moment he heard a faint whisper on the winds. He looked around and felt only a cool breeze, in the desolate desert. He kept looking for the source of the voice, but the sound wasn't carried on the wind, thought it sounded like it. Rather it was a whisper in his mind. He turned around a few times before he felt something deep within himself say _"This is the way." _He picked up his supplies hastily and set off for the crying voice. The "slumbering" behemoth merely grinned before vanishing on the winds.

* * *

Madara closed his eyes. He sat cross-legged atop one of the largest buildings on Coruscant. It had sturdy base, with four tall towers on each corner, and an even larger one directly in the center of all of them.

The tallest spire was his current location. He had a great view of the Great Rotunda, also known as the Senate Chamber. But his eye wasn't on the sights, but rather within himself. Pain has recently gained knowledge that he believed Madara would like to know. After a couple dozen random memory thefts, Pain had learned of the Force, and became intrigued. Propelled to learn more, he continuously stole memories and began narrowing his search to the religious group known commonly as the "Jedi."

But he had the singular fortune of meeting one, having discerned their appearance and initiated contact with one. Taking advantage, he had quickly placed his hand upon the man's head and copied his memories, before erasing those of the last five minutes. The knowledge he had gained surprised him, as he found several "Force Techniques" to be similar to, yet less flexible to those powered by chakra. Still, he felt Madara ought to know.

Thus, the masked Cyclops (_not_ Kakashi) sat in a meditative position and attempted to reach of to this "Force". He wasn't expectant. He understood that very few could become Jedi, and that midichlorians were needed to have contact with the Force. Still, it was worth a try…

* * *

Palpatine sat in his office looking through the latest documents that had been submitted to the Chancellor's office for review. He deactivated the screen before him and leaned back to rest his eyes. He was tired, there was no doubt. But he felt he was playing his part of the "wise old uncle" to Anakin well enough. He gently reached out to the Force, clouding it with the influence of his power. Needless to say, he loved being him. His face suddenly went from smiling, to a perplexed gaze.

Something was off.

There was something different about the Force today. As if on the very fringes of his senses was a presence. Not a Jedi, for despite its distance, Cos (that's Palpatine's first name to those of you who don't know) could tell that there was no Light in it. Only darkness. He cautiously reached out to it, trying to get a grasp of what this darkness was. Perhaps it was a Sith hopeful that he could have Dooku use as a general in the upcoming war the Separatists would initiate.

But just as his presence just barely brushed against the other, Cos immediately dropped his jaw. The presence was dark, depressing, and it had latched firmly onto his own. It was as if the presence was curious about him, examining him, even as he took the opportunity to examine it. But what stunned the Sith Lord was the _density_ of the shadows that swirled around this person. It felt cold. _Chill_. It was as if Cos had been thrown into a freezing pool of ice. Palpatine stood up and turned around to gaze out his large window. He looked around.

"It is here… on Coruscant. I know it." With a little more searching his eyes fell upon the Jedi temple. And as if his gaze had become telescopic, he could barely make out the figure of a man cloaked in black, a single eye opened and staring right back at Palpatine.

"_You… are an interesting being."_ Palpatine said through a mental link he formed. But the man on the other end remained quiet, neither recoiling nor advancing in their link. He simply watched the Sith. Palpatine suddenly felt the tendrils of darkness brush against his mind, and he immediately put up barriers against this man. The tendrils did not recede, but neither did they try and force their way into his mind. They simply twisted around his mind, as if waiting for an opening.

Palpatine heard it in his mind; the deep voice was spoken in a strange language that he had never heard before, but he understood every word of it. It whispered to him of his own inferiority, of his foolishness, of his weakness. Palpatine realized that this was the man's subconscious speaking to his mind. He had no idea he was even _communicating_ with the Sith Lord.

That meant that the man was totally sure of his own abilities; his own _power._

With that, Palpatine felt the connection shut, and his vision of the man faded and became so distorted that he stopped trying to glimpse him. He simply retracted from the Force and slowly went back to his chair and sat down slowly. Of everything he had foreseen, this was not one of them. When he tried reaching out subtly to the Force to try and see the future, now _his_ vision was clouded. He couldn't see the future as clearly as before. This other presence that had only appeared a moment ago, seemed to suddenly grasp the Dark Side by its collar and force it to obey him. Palpatine had not met a man of such raw, Dark affinity since his own master.

This would definitely take some calculating…

* * *

**A/N: Well there you have it! I was a little iffy on that las thscene there, but I think its O.K., no more though. Just O.K. Anyway, I feel like I portrayed Deidara well enough, and **kinchar1 **I know you asked for more Naruto time, so I have given it to you!! :D Heehee! And people say I dont please my fans... hmph! Anyway, Questions, Comments, all are accepted!!! Just hit the little button down there!! V-V-V-V-V _REVIEWS ARE LOVED!!!!!!_**


	3. Chapter 3: Contact

**A/N: Well this one took me a bit longer, and I believe I've put more detail into this than I usualy do, and I hope that doesnt make it _too_ in-depth in that sense. **

**As some of you are probably thinking, Hinata is in one of two possible positions, though I wont say wich ones or it'll narrow it down (Heck, I need mystery in here after all). However of the two obviouse conclusions, only one os correct. Good luck guessing! :P Yeah schools been a pain lately, and its been slowing me down. Not only that but i've been playing Command & Conquer 4, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, EVE Online, Battlefield 2142, and a few others, which are so good that the KEEP FRIGGIN' DISTRACTING ME!!! Ranting aside, enjoy the new chapter of A Curious Thing! ^_^**

**Oh, and I'd would like to thank** Kage Bijuu**, **hellzanetruesdale**, **Vanbor the Fire Mage**, **Slayer End**, **zentary**, **hooked reader**, **TsknRaider**, **vash3055**, **Dude4515**, **Cheese love Tobi**, **OilWar**, **Eipok**, ****, and **emmaganchick** for your encouraging reviews!**

* * *

**A Curious Thing: Chapter 3**

Mace looked at the gathered council, looking at a viewscreen built into his chair's arm. Another of the council was doing the same, and voiced the reports that were coming through, as was everyone else. "There's a mission request from Malistare, probably another assassination." Said one.

"We can send Master Hutin and his Padawan to investigate. It would be a good lesson for the youngling." Another said, and a few others who were listening nodded.

"There's another one from Taris. Looks like some archeological dig sites are being fought over. I think Laros Gringe might be a good choice for that one." Another round of nodding.

"Ahh, another disappearance in the Krathe District here on Coruscant." Another looked up from his view screen to address the master who spoke. "I've been curious about that one. There's not a whole lot of data on it." Plo Koon asked from his seat. Ki-Adi-Mundi answered him from two seats away.

"Apparently there have been several vanishing's in the Krathe district and deaths among the residents there. As an investigation mission, we might do well to let Reng Los take it."

Mace shook his head. "No. I think it would be better for a Master and a Padawan to do it. I nominate Master Drus and his Padawan." A round of nods confirmed the decision and Mace sent a small text message with an attachment to the data gathered directly to Drus' datapad. _'Even if he has just come back from a mission, I'm sure he'll be up to it.'_ He thought silently as he hit the "send" button. "Alright, now about these sightings..."

* * *

Jedi Master Dromus Drus scratched his nose as he and his Padawan walked out of the hanger of the Jedi Temple and into the large corridors that twisted throughout the entirety of the structure. "Ahh... Another mission completed!" Came the high pitched voice of the girl beside him. "And perfectly executed I might add."

Dromus sighed. "Yes, you did fine job with convincing those thieves to give up, and during the small firefight afterword. But don't take too much pride in your work. Pride is simply the beginning-"

"'-of the path to the Dark Side.' I know master. You've told me _many_ times now." The girl said. She had smooth blond hair that stopped at her shoulder blades. Her slightly peppy strut had become distinctive to her.

"Then try actually applying it. The fact that we've never failed a mission is a loaded pride-bomb that's bound to go off when you least expect it." His Padawan's name was Koren Sahri. While not really a female's name, she preferred that she be called Ren, since it sounded much more feminine, a fact she insisted on reminding everyone who called her by her full name. Ren rolled her eyes slightly and looked away. She never liked to be reprimanded, and her master made sure he annoyed her as much as possible by doing so.

Dromus sighed in exasperation and shook his head. He was about to say more when his datapad began buzzing. Reaching into a small pouch on his utility belt, he withdrew it and read the brief text message and opened the attachment that came with it. Skimming through it, he looked over to his Koren and smirked. "Don't get too comfortable, we just got another mission."

She whirled in surprise. She'd never had two missions back-to-back like this before. "You're joking, right?" Dromus shook his head and walked off. "Just get refreshed and head back to the hanger, we'll discuss this there." He said without even looking back. He knew she'd do as she was told, even if it didn't look like she would.

* * *

**Location: Jedi Temple, Coruscant.**

Mace Windu, probably the second most powerful Jedi of the current generation, was troubled. Even as he meditated, he could see the "strings" that comprised his perception of fate through the force were shifting. This was his gift; to be able to see the universe as a mass of shifting strings, and see how they connect and affect each other. But recently, they had begun shifting, and he found more and more "shatter points" appearing. A shatter point was a point where many strings met and conjoined. This point would be a pivotal moment in those strings, and would probably decide their fate for the rest of their lives.

As he looked, strings vibrated and swirled around him, falling into place as they usually did. But now, there were several new strings that seemed to thread themselves together out of nowhere and connect themselves to each other. They, likewise, began to stitch themselves into several other shatter points. Mace was intrigued. These strings hummed with a energy that he had never felt before, and yet, it felt also familiar. All of a sudden, they began to glow, different colors, the most common being blue. However, as mace looked on, he could have sworn he saw a crimson thread vibrate with power, if only momentarily before returning to a meridian blue hum.

His eyes did not deceive him however, since it was the Force that directed him to these images. It was not possible that he had seen things. These several threads were somehow important to the future of the galaxy. What made him think this? Because each of these threads were connected to a certain shatter point.

A shatter point that every Jedi in the galaxy was connected to.

Even as he tried to trace the threads back to their origins, they led only to pitch black darkness. Searching the blackness, he expected the Dark side, but no… there was no chill, nor warmth that associated the darkness with either the Dark or the Light. It was just… nothingness. An absolute void of existence. Nothing was in it, and once inside, there was nothing outside of it; no up or down, left or right, no crazy diagonal pull or spinning dizziness. There was absolutely nothing in this shadow, and even for a moment Mace considered that even nothingness was non-existence, and that this was something beyond that. But even as his rational mind tried to remind himself that beyond nothingness there was nothing, but it was a faint voice to him, a quiet whisper of randomness in the incomprehensible pitch his mind was in.

His only thoughts were to try and find a way out, or to continue on and find the sources of those strange threads. And so he pushed on, in to the frightening blackness. But as he continued on he felt more and more distant to the world outside, as if the nothingness was absorbing him, turning _him_ into nothingness. For a moment… only a brief moment, he felt as if he would be consumed, and then his hand felt a chill, as if a cool breeze had suddenly picked up. It suddenly stirred in him a will to fight, a want to persevere. Whatever this darkness was, he _would_ beat it. He shrugged off the dimming tendrils of crushing void and reached his hand out deeper and froze.

Literally. His hand felt on fire with instant numbness. That chill spread like wildfire up his arm and to his head. He would have cried out in pain, but no sound emerged. He instantly withdrew his mind while he was wide awake and he opened his eyes.

He panted for a moment while his sight returned. The shades in his room were partially closed, allowing some light through, but mostly darkness. At some point in his meditation, he had fallen over and onto the floor. He sat up and looked at his hand, the same on that had touched that horrible cold. Truly, that nothingness that was the thread's origin was not of the Light, and yet...

"That wasn't the Dark side..."

His face was blank, as always, but his mind was set. He _had_ to tell Master Yoda at once.

* * *

**Location: #######**

"What took you two so long?" Pain asked as Deidara and Sasori stepped into the light. "There was a detour." Was Sasori's only response.

"No shttin'?" Said another from beside them. He had slicked back silver hair and a blood red scythe slung over his shoulder.

"Shut up Hidan. You of all people shouldn't complain about others being slow." This one wore a full head mask, hiding his hair, face, and neck from view. His eyes were green, surrounded by red sclera.

"Fuck off Kakuzu! No one asked you!" Hidan said again, violently yelling at his partner. Kakuzu ignored him this time and simply looked in the opposite direction. His sharp eyes scanned the group assembled and he saw nearly everyone's face. Konan had been brought by Pain, Sasori by Deidara, Kisame by Zetsu and Itachi by Tobi, whom he had been told was really Uchiha Madara, the founder of Akatsuki and co-founder of Konohagakure. That had been a bit of a shock to him.

So it appeared as if everyone was here. "We don't have time to sit here and do nothing. Since we're in this universe… I assume you've all been briefed… we need to get started remaking our organization. Kakuzu, I assume our currency is useless here?"

Kakuzu nodded. "The indigenous beings of this galaxy use a currency called 'credits' that have no relation to the ryo. In short, all of our funds are dry."

"If that's the case we'll simply have to find ways to make money. Kakuzu, I assume you've also learned how to do that?" Again Kakuzu nodded. "The best businesses in this galaxy appear to be smuggling, drug and human trafficking as well as bounty hunting. Well, actually, I guess it's _being_ trafficking, all things considered."

Madara nodded. "That's good. From what we know, there are many lawless planets in the 'Outer Rim' of this galaxy. They will be prime locations for any operations we set up."

"And if there are rival crime lords?" Kisame asked. "Need you even ask?" replied Kakuzu.

"Wait wait wait! We're not going to actually do this ourselves are we?! I mean were S-ranked criminals! We shouldn't have to deal with that menial kind of shit!"

Madara turned to the blond. "Deidara, at the moment we aren't in a position to hire anybody. It won't be long before we can, but it will take time. If anything, in this galaxy we could actually turn Akatsuki into a Mercenary coalition. I time that is… Either way, until we have the resources to hire others, we don't really have a choice, now do we?"

Deidara looked like he was about to snap back, but he restrained himself at the last second. An uneasy silence followed. Pain was content with it. He knew it meant the others understood the position they were in, and that was good enough for now.

But unfortunately, just when he thought things were going good (as good as possible), shit happens.

"We have a problem." Madara turned to Pain, who looked back at him. "Ningendō has been cornered."

"Local authorities?" Sasori questioned. Pain shook his head. "Worse." Sasori arched an eyebrow at the serious tone Pain's voice held. Pain answered his next question with one simple, yet meaningful word.

* * *

**Location: Jedi Temple, Coruscant**

Yoda hobbled out of the training room where the Bear Clan younglings had just finished their training. They all had great potential; that he knew, and he knew the Force had a plan for them all. The children energetically pore out of the room and headed to their regular activities, which if Yoda wasn't wrong, would be lunch. He thought pleasantly of how it felt to be young and carefree. It was a blessing while it lasted, and he'd been nearly eight-hundred years out of youth, but at the same time he was thankful for it. He was old, but he was wiser and more knowledgeable than any youth. However, his wisdom would soon be tested, and it came in the form of Mace Windu approaching him. His stride was quick but also measured; hurried, but set.

"Master, I need to speak with you in private." He said as soon as their eyes met. Yoda nodded his old head and followed him back to meditation room and locked the door. "A concern, you have?" Yoda asked, as if he didn't know why he'd been asked to a private discussion with his fellow Jedi Master.

"Master, I have some troubling news for you…" He said calmly as he sat on one of the round meditation chairs.

Yoda again nodded his green head and looked intently at the black Jedi. "Speak your mind, you must."

After recounting the story of his vision of the shatter points and the strange threads, and where they came from, more specifically the nothingness he found. By then end, Yoda had grasped the situation as best he could and thought hard. After a long moment, he opened his wizened old eyes and spoke. "This darkness… How did it feel?"

"It felt like it was almost eating away at my mind until there was nothing left, just like the Dark Side would do to anyone unprepared for it. But the strange part is the cold feeling I got after going deeper actually threw me out of the nothingness because it was so painful." Yoda nodded and closed his eyes again, trying to picture the same place through the force. He let himself flow into the Force, and the Force flow through him, until it permeated every part of his being and he could freely see the Force's will. He traveled along the conduit of the Force until he came to a large black sphere. He took a careful step inside and he instantly knew what Mace had experienced. Not stopping, he continued until he too felt the cool refreshing, but also chilling breeze. Advancing further, he eventually stopped. He reached his hand out and he felt as his fingertips brushed against the burning frost that chilled him thoroughly.

He retracted his hand and looked at his clawed digits. Turning it this way and that, he sighed, grasping a good idea of what this was. He let himself flow back into himself and he opened his eyes. Mace continued to stare at him, as it had only taken a moment or two for Yoda to do this. "A defense mechanism it is. Placed there by the Force to protect us it was, and a good job too, if shake you out of the nothingness it did."

"A defense mechanism? A defense against what then?" Yoda "hrmm"-ed and scratched his chin. "From the nothingness perhaps, or maybe from something we cannot yet understand."

Mace shook his head and looked at a loss. "But what would be so dangerous the Force itself would intervene in such a way?" he asked, almost dreading the answer.

"Something that encountered before, we never have." Mace sighed and shook his head again and again dared to venture to where the strong floated in his mind. The darkness was in the back of his mind; a portal at the end of the glowing strings that hid their origins from view. For a moment he observed the threads of fate as they twisted and moved. It was then that something caught his eye. There was a new shatter point. As he examined it, his eyes narrowed. One of the humming blue threads had twisted with two grey ones. Grey was the normal color, and the blue ones were easily distinguished from the rest, but now, one had mixed itself with another, and then another.

Three strings formed a rather large silver sphere, with blue lines dancing in and around it. Mace knew that this must be important to have appeared so suddenly. He also knew that even though he might not be able to see the blue string, he could defiantly see the grey ones. Reaching out his hand, he touched the two strings and his eyes widened slightly. He retracted out of his mind and faced the Grand Jedi Master with an apprehensive face.

Yoda nodded knowingly. "Betray you, your thoughts do."

Mace stood and briskly walked to the door.

* * *

**Time: 11:14 am.  
Location: En route to Krathe District.**

Dromus sighed as his Padawan yawned for the fifth time since boarding the small speeder that was taking them to the Krathe district. He counted down another three minutes before she did it again. This time though she spoke. "Seriously Master, why did they send us back out on mission so soon? I mean we just got back!"

Dromus looked at her with piercing green eyes. His long brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail that came down to his mid back. His had a smooth complexion with a short beard. A single scar beneath his eye stood testament to a dangerous mission when he was a young Knight.

"Be thankful it was on planet. Most of the time, you have to leave the planet and head somewhere far away. This mission is fairly simple anyway. Look into the disappearance of some workers near and industry center, apprehend the culprit if he's still around, and report back to the council. It shouldn't be more than a few days, if even that."

Koren sighed and leaned on her hand as she looked out the window of their vehicle, lazily day dreaming as the smoke-stacks of the factory loomed in view. Not ten minutes later they were off and on their way to the director's office. As they walked out of the turbolift that took them from the floor to the waiting room, Dromus had been feeling out the other workers. Most were a bit nervous, and when they saw the Jedi they were considerably more concerned. Dromus made note of this as the secretary directed them into the office. They both walked in and the director, a young man in his late twenties, directed them to have a seat.

"I want to thank you for coming so soon master Jedi. It's becoming rather difficult to control the leaks to the media." Dromus nodded. "Tell us how it started."

The young man nodded and sat back in his desk chair, rubbing his eyes in thought. "It happened about a month ago. Workers started disappearing; not showing up for work or not returning home when work was over. For a while we thought they had simply gone AWOL or had too many drinks the night before. But the families insisted that they were missing and hadn't returned home, and nobody had seen hide nor hair of them. To date nearly _thirty_ individuals have disappeared. I tell ya, it's a mess, a complete an utter mess!"

Dromus nodded his head. "Have you done any investigation of your own? Like, are there any similarities between the disappearances?"

The man shook his head. "Not that we can tell: Males, females, young, old, successful, failure, they've all disappeared. No note of ransom, no demands, not even a damned trace!" The man sighed in exasperation. "You will find out who did this, right?"

Dromus stood and looked the man straight in the eyes. "We'll do everything we can." Koren looked at him oddly and then back at the director, then back at her master, who turned and walked out the door. She followed him swiftly. When they were in the turbo lift down, she turned to him. "What do you mean we'll do everything we can? We have to find out who did this!"

"And if we can do it, we will. But you have to realize there are people who can outsmart even Jedi Masters. I'm not saying we'll slack off, oh no. I'm just not going to promise something I have no assurance of. Remember, only Sith deal in absolutes." Koren saw the logic in that, but even if she was a little-miss-perfect, that didn't mean she didn't have the fire of youth inside her. That infinite urge to do justice. She reigned it in, not wanting to argue with her master at the moment.

"So what now?" She asked him. He cracked his neck as the lift was almost at the bottom. "We get down to the manufacturing floor and ask around." She continued to glare at him until the lift stopped and opened to reveal the main production floor. This particular workshop focused on the making of ship armor hulls, and many of the nearly completed sets hung from the ceiling. Workers bustled about and the smell of perspiration and molten metal assaulted their nostrils. Koren held her nose as she tried to not to tear up from the awful stench. The smell didn't seem to affect her master though, and she assumed it was because he was used to it. Looking around the spotted a group of workers that appeared to be taking a break, so Dromus walked over, Koren in tow, and approached them.

"Excuse us, My name is Dromus Drus, and this is my Padawan, Koren Sahri. Were here investigating the recent disappearances. Could you give us any information that might help us?"

The group o workers, five or so in total, looked at the two Jedi carefully, and then looked at each other. After a few head nods, one responded. "What do you want to know?"

Dromus shrugged with a face. "Whatever you can tell us. Anything the authorities don't already know. You worked with them after all. You would know them pretty well."

"Actually we didn't know them well at all. Most of them were loners who worked on their own and didn't associate with the rest of us." The same man said.

"Are you sure about that?" Dromus asked. The same man nodded. Dromus sighed and nodded in understanding. _'That would make them prime candidates for abduction. No one would notice them missing for a while.' _He thought

"Actually…" Spoke a woman from behind him. "…I was decent friend with one of them. He kept on saying that he hated leaving work because of the route he took on the way home. One day he left to go and the next day he didn't return." The woman hung her head sadly in respect for the missing man.

Dromus nodded in understanding. "Do you know what his route home was?"

The woman shook her head. "I don't, sorry. But I know he lived only a little ways from here. To the north I think." Koren smiled and thanked her, quickly exiting from the scene. Dromus was slowing in thanking her but was much less enthusiastic about leaving as his charge was. When he got back out, he found the young female breathing deep breaths of fresh air. She shook his head again and walked on. She followed him after a moment. "So what now?"

Dromus continued walking in a northerly direction. "We check the last place that guy was seen." Koren had her doubts of course abut followed after her master.

**

* * *

****Time: 20 minutes later  
Location: Outer Krathe District**

"I just don't understand why were going into the slums to figure this out. I mean, from what I know, people in slums don't talk to each other, well never get any information, no matter who we ask." Dromus had an undeniable urge to slap himself in the face. For the past fifteen minutes, he had listened to his Padawan drone on about how they wouldn't get anything out of coming here. As much of a perfectionist she was, she hated getting filthy, and the slums, in her definition, were the very essence of filthy.

As they entered the ghetto, Koren began to become more and more silent and cling closer and closer to her master. Dromus could have said something about how fear was of the Darkside blah, blah, blah, but he decided against it. This wasn't the time or place for it. They passed by several buildings and shacks, pieced together from random scrap metal. While sturdy and powered by crude generators, as well as heated and cooled by similar quality machinery, they provided only minimal amount of shelter. Yes, you could technically live here if you could afford it, but it wasn't the most wanted home by any party larger than two, yet entire families sometimes lived here. It was a shame that Koren was frightened of these places; these were people who needed help the most on this planet.

_'Even in the center of the Republic, there is poverty and hunger…'_ Drus mused.

Koren was silent as they walked quietly through the abandoned streets of the area. So preoccupied was she of her own fears, she didn't realize her master had stopped moving and bumped into him. "Master? What is it?" She asked warily. Domus turned his head toward her but kept his eyes forward. "Can you feel it?"

She looked at him curiously, and touched the Force to see what he was talking about. Instantly she felt it. Fear, above all other emotions, was permeating the air. "They're afraid?"

Drus nodded. "It seems so. But, it's not a fear of us…" Again, the young human girl looked at her master warily. "Then what are they afraid of?"

Dromus took a few careful stride forward. "Perhaps the kidnapper is still around."

Koren, despite her previous fear, now replaced with anxiety, shook her head in disbelief. "That isn't right Master. There's no way any criminal in their right mind would hang around an area they've already-." Her breath caught in her chest as she saw a slither of darkness around a corner. Her master saw it as well, or rather felt the presence of another person nearby. He kept his lightsaber within reachable distance from his right hand as he strode silently to the corner and eased around it.

It was a dark alley with a dead end. No doorways or windows were on the walls, and despite his senses saying there was someone there, his eyes told him otherwise. Koren stepped up next to him, her hand on her saber, but hadn't unlatched it yet. "Where'd they go?" Drus unlatched his saber and held it at the ready. The individual that was around was difficult to feel out. He could only detect a fuzzy aura that kept fizzling in and out of his senses. But what he could get was a maliciousness that could only come from a killer. "Whatever happens, stay close to me." He whispered to the girl. She nodded and also held her saber at the ready.

After a few moments of silence, Dromus took a chance and called out. "Come on out. We're not here to hurt you." Another few seconds of silence followed. Koren could feel a bead or two of sweat run down her face and down her shirt. Her heart was beginning to accelerate as well.

Dromus hesitantly began to re-latch his saber to his belt. Maybe his senses were off. There were plenty of small holes in the wall that any sort of carnivorous animals could have escaped to.

"Master!" He whirled at his Padawan's call. She was looking back at the entrance to the alley, where a single silhouetted figure stood. Even as he reached out with the Force, he found it difficult to get a decent reading on them. Dromus tooka step forward to place himself a pace ahead of Koren.

The other figure similarly stepped forward, though the light of the alley still masked him. Dromus saw him take something out of a pocket and from the shadow it cast it looked suspiciously like a knife. "We're not here to fight." The other didn't answer. Dromus again called out. "One more step and I'll be forced to arrest you."

The figure finally stopped. It cocked its head at them curiously for a second. Dromus continued: "I am Jedi Master Dromus Drus of the Jedi order. Identify yourself!"

The figure remained silent for a moment before letting out a deep chuckle and turning on his heel and walking away. "Stay where you are!" Dromus said. The man suddenly turned and flung something at them. Quickly using the force, he held out his left hand and the approaching objects slid to a stop. Even in the dim light, he could see they were a trio of knives. And thrown with expert precision too if their current target was any indication. Had they continued they would have hit his lungs and upper right shoulder. Quickly activating his lightsaber, and Koren doing the same, they held them at the ready. The green and yellow blades (respectably) cast an ominous hue across the darkness.

They stood apart from each other in the alley way darkened by a nearby factory that was viciously pumping smoke high into the sky. The light from the dual sabers however were able to reveal a bit about the man. He wore a black trench coat, with a black leather vest beneath. Black pants and buckled-up combat boots, along with an odd assortment of items around his waist were also visible. He wore a bandolier over his shoulder, and its pouches were filled with who knew what. The sleeves of the coat cut off exactly at the half point of his palms, being not too long as to look oversized, but long enough to hide anything he had up his sleeves.

Dromus stood their taking in his opponent. If the man attacked again, so would he. Suddenly he felt as though Koren's fear was rapidly accelerating. He risked a glance toward her and saw her right hand, the hand that held her blade, trembling. Her breaths were shallow and faltering. He could see the shimmering of sweat in the light of her yellow saber. "Koren…" He said quietly. Her eyes remained wide and fixated on the man. Never before had she acted this way. She'd faced more dangerous villains that knife throwing shadows before. Taking moment he waved a hand in front of her face, being sure to keep an eye on the man.

Instantly she blinked and looked around, her fear surprisingly leaving her. "Master, I…" She didn't have time to answer as the man was suddenly within three feet of both of them. Dromus' eyes went wide. _'He's fast.'_ He swung his blade at the man's right arm, only for him to inhumanly bend around it. The wave of green light highlighted the man's pale skin and what Dromus swore was a fresh stain of blood on his cheek. The man silently spun and twisted out of the reach of the two's blades even as they attacked.

Pulling out another pair of knifes he attacked back, slashing at them, and risking close encounter despite their superior armaments. Dromus spun to kick the man in the face, but met no resistance. Even as he turned, he saw why. The man had suddenly switched targets and lunged for Koren. She had her hands above her hand for an overhead chop; she was totally open. With a desperate thought, a wall of telekinesis shoved the man back like a ton of bricks. He flipped and landed on his feet, not even stumbling as he straightened. With a elegant fling, both hands swung forward, releasing the two knives, hurtling through the small space between them in seconds.

Koren suddenly found her world slow. She saw the instrument of death nearing her face every second, and raised her hand to defend herself. Using her limited mastery of the Force she attempted to stop the blade like her master had done, but even though the object slowed, it didn't stop completely. Her eyes widened as the spiraling blade pierced her hand.

Dromus heard a high screech. He looked over from where he had caught the knife with his left hand and saw his Padawan holding her hand, which had a deeply imbedded knife in it. He looked from her back to the opponent. He waved his hand and the man flew back even further. Even as he hit it hard enough to cause permacrete dust to rain down he pushed himself off and landed on his feet, not even fazed. In fact, to Dromus' surprise, the man _laughed_.

"Incredible. Simply amazing. Of all the specimens I have collected, you by far surpass their quality. Indeed your abilities intrigue me." Dromus' eyes narrowed. This was no ordinary psycho. "Come. Entertain me more!" The man said. It was now that Dromus noticed the man's yellow reptilian eyes.

Looking back to Koren, he called out to her. "Koren, can you move?" He didn't get an answer as he saw her slowly wobble back and forth, her eyes visibly glazed, and finally fall to the ground. Dromus clenched his teeth. The knife must have been poisoned. "Who are you?!" he called out and waved his saber in front of him. The man grinned in the pale green light.

In the blink of an eye the man stood a mere foot from Dromus swinging another knife in for the kill, aiming for his neck. In another blink, the green blade thrummed and zapped. In response the pale man's reptilian eyes widened ever so slightly before his body split in two at the waist and toppled to the ground. Dromus stood in the same position for a moment before he remembered to breath. He did so in deep inhales and exhales. For a moment he looked at the man on the ground and then back to his hand. _'Did I really do that? It was instantaneous… I didn't even realize I'd moved. '_ he thought to himself in silence. Then he remembered his wounded partner and he immediately turned to the unconscious lump that was his Padawan.

"Blast!" He swore as he rushed to her side. He examined her eyes and checked for a pulse. Thankfully there was a strong one. It seemed as though she were paralyzed to the point of being unable to even think. He bent down to pick her up when he heard an ominous slithering from behind him. He dared to turn his head slowly, his eyes widening as he saw the man straighten and crack his neck. Again he heard this deep laugh and his fear doubled when he heard an all too familiar _snap-hiss_ of a lightsaber. The saber that once belonged to his Padawan, now held in the man's hands, illuminated the alleyway.

He raised it to his face and Dromus now saw, clearly, what it was he was facing. Pale skin, indeed. Reptilian eyes, also true. But the unique purple tattoos around the man's eyes showed him that without a doubt this man was a serpent; a crafty creature with poisonous venom. How fitting for such a criminal. Dromus calmed himself and stood again, raising his blade to defend himself. The snake-man must have noticed Dromus' renewed resolution. But despite seeing danger, the man smiled all the more wicked. They stood apart from each other, neither moving as they stared at the others eyes.

Blue to yellow.

Yellow to blue.

And then bright flashes as they instantly clashed at the pinnacle. The blades locked together and the man's wiry form betrayed no physical weakness. Both braced against the other. "What's your name, creature?"

"I have no obligation to answer you, Jedi." He said. "Though I don't suppose it would hurt to tell you before you lose all sense of self." He braced himself and Dromus suddenly found his grip on the ground slipping and he was thrown back. He steadied himself and was again at the ready.

"My name is Orochimaru, and I am Immortal." With a flick of the wrist he swung at the Master's head which he accordingly blocked and parried, sliding his saber along Orochimaru's in an attempt to behead him. The pale man was prepared however, and pushed the blade away and swung at the man's waist. Again the Master Jedi blocked and parried. But every thrust was met with a swipe, and every slice with a parry. With a final push, he twirled his blade around and slashed. He was surprised when his wrist was caught in the man's left hand. His eyes widened as the snake grinned, dragging his blade across the Jedi's chest. Before Dromus could even cry out, he was thrown against a nearby wall, not unlike the other man had been thrown earlier.

Orochimaru looked at his handiwork and regretted having damaged his now useless specimen. "Oh well, I still have another, don't I?" He said, eyeing the young girl. He took a step toward her and reached out to pick her up when a burning feeling crawled up his spine. He looked down and saw the green tip of the Jedi's blade extending from his right chest. He looked behind him and saw the Jedi's arm, outstretched from where he had thrown it.

"Hmph, didn't I just say it?" He asked rhetorically. **"I'm Immortal!"** He finished with a dark grin. With a sickening hiss, he reached around and slid the blade out. With a twirl, he swung the blade upside down. "You had quite the potential. However, a damaged specimen…" He eyed the man darkly. "…is a worthless specimen." With a flick of the wrist, he threw the blade at the Jedi like a spear.

Surely this was the end Dromus thought. This man was an unexpected opponent, but he took comfort in the fact that all was of the Force's will. And soon he would be a part of it. He did have one, single regret. That Koren, whom despite her flaws he still considered as close as a daughter, would have to endure such hardships before her life was even sixteen years old. That was his greatest and _only_ regret.

The next seconds were permeated by slow motion, thanks to the adrenaline pumping into his body. His opened wide when he saw this. Even though he didn't have the energy left to move, he still felt as though his body were being controlled. In an instant, is head snapped back as his body was thrown to the side. He hit the ground softly, surprising him. Indeed, Orochimaru was also surprised. He cocked his head in surprise. The lightsaber burned its way into the wall and continued to turn the wall into molten metal, even as it stayed there.

"Master Drus!" Called out a new voice. Both of them turned to the newcomer to see a pair of Jedi Knights. They stopped at the entrance to the death-trap of an alley, looking at the two defeated Jedi and then at the man who was responsible. Behind them rushed a platoon of Republic Security forces. They filed in behind the Jedi and leveled their blasters at the pale man.

"Oh? More specimens to collect?" His gin split his face as he placed one foot in front of the other and held the sulphur blade in front of him with both hands. The other two lit their sabers as well, two cool blue blades shimmering in brightening light. Orochimaru looked up to see the sun nearing its peak position, which would illuminate the entire alley for only a few minutes. He looked back at the Jedi. He slid his front foot forward an inch, settling into his stance.

Drus breathed a sigh of relief when he saw help had arrived, though he wondered where from. One of the Jedi turned to the soldiers behind him. "Set weapons to stun. We can't risk hitting Master Drus."

Orochimaru smiled again, but it vanished when he heard another voice. "Everyone stay back." It came from a large black man in the same garb as the other Jedi, and a purple saber in his right hand. He stepped forward, the others giving him wide berth. He looked at Orochimaru carefully for a moment, noting the smell of burnt flesh and the toasted edges of his shit. He looked him up and down before speaking again.

"What's your name?" He asked sternly, keeping his view of the Force open.

Orochimaru silently swore as he could tell this man was much more powerful than the other two. He looked between him, the two Jedi behind him and the troops behind them. _'Not the worst situation I've been in by far, but definitely not an advantageous one.'_ He deactivated his lightsaber and slid it in a pocket. "I said it once, and I'll say it just one more time. My name is Orochimaru, and I am Immortal." He said, a wicked grin splitting his face. He flexed his left arm and threw it forward. Mace also placed a hand up, using a shield of the Force to defend from any incoming attacks. To his surprise, the only thing that happened was a gentle slithering sound appeared.

Then he saw the man's sleeve move and bulge before a myriad of snakes launched out like rockets at them. "**Sen'ei Tajashu!**" The snakes filled the Jedi's entire field of vision and as they approached they sliced and cut any of the attacking reptiles before they could get a good snap at their skin. However, many of them simply slid around the preoccupied Jedi and went for the troopers. Quickly opening fire, but set to stun as per their orders, one by one the snakes began to fall asleep. But not every snake was hit, the closest ones coiled their tails and launched like springs at them, managing to sing their fangs into any exposed flesh, usually at the joints, hands, and necks.

The men's screams filled the air as the Jedi tried to cut the snakes off of them. At least, the other two Jedi did. Mace stood his ground. As the last snake slithered from his arm, Orochimaru took a few calm steps back to the wall. "Now that that's done, I'll take my leave."

"You're not going anywhere." Mace threatened and charged at him. Orochimaru simply pointed a finger behind him, and he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw what it was. A group of snakes were wrapped around young Koren's body, their fangs brought to bear on her exposed flesh. The **Vaapad** master Turned back to Orochimaru, prepared to do what was necessary. However, his eyes only saw the back of the snake man's black coat as he walked to the wall.

"Kukukukuku…" His demonic laugh echoed about the alley as he walked up to the wall, and then turn back slightly.

"Before I leave, I need to thank all of you. You were all unexpected, but very useful test subjects. Farewell Jedi. I doubt we'll ever meet again." With that, he took a step backward and Mace's eyes widened immensely when he saw him begin to actually melt _into_ the wall until his entire body disappeared. The snakes that were still alive took their cue and slithered away as fast as snake-ly possible. The troopers who hadn't been bitten got up and immediately looked around for more snakes, not wanting to get entangled with them again.

"Fan out! Search the area!" Mace ordered, and they did just that. He turned to another trooper nearby and ordered him, "Get a medical unit over here immediately."

"Yes sir, right away sir!" He pulled out a radio and began quickly explaining the situation to the operator on the line. One of the Knights had picked up Dromus and brought him over to where his Padawan lay, while the combat medic was already working on her. Her hand was bandaged and she appeared unconscious. Dromus was in worse condition but he refused to worked on before Koren was. The medic however was at a loss.

"I'm sorry sir, but I'm pretty sure the knife was coated with a type of poison. I don't have the skills or the equipment to handle an infection this bad." Mace nodded and directed him to work on Dromus next, but even that was limited. "All I can do is offer some anesthetics and some minor patchwork. He'll need a bacta tank for sure sir, they both will." Master Windu sighed, and looked to the sky as the medical relief closed in. _'That man must have been the one of the new threads. I never imagined it would have started out this way…'_ He looked at the wounded, Jedi and trooper alike, and shook his head. _'If only one can do with so little effort, we can only trust the Force that he's the most powerful among them.'_

Unknown to him, a pair of ringed eyes watched him from atop a building on the other side of the ghetto. His long orange hair and facial piercings flowing and glinting against the wind and sun.

"You too, Orochimaru?" He said to seemingly no one. However a chuckle from behind him indicated what he already knew. Orochimaru stepped up onto the roof from the climbing fire escape he'd used to climb. Pain spared a glance back at him. His attire had definitely changed, though it somehow worked for him. His hands were buried in his pockets. "Too many questions for one day. You'll have to wait 'till later for an answer." He said cryptically. Pain took this as a sign that even Orochimaru, a true scientist, also had no idea how they got here. "Then I'll take my leave. Don't draw too much attention to yourself." With that, he leaped to the next building and to the next, heading back to the larger part of the city.

Orochimaru stood there, the wind whipping at his coat as he stared out at the magnificent city. Even in this world, the Akatsuki were wary of him. That was why Pain kept the conversation so brief. Well, Orochimaru didn't exactly help either, but it was intended. Orochimaru was an important item in this world now, and while they'd rather get rid of him, he was now too important to lose. That didn't mean he was to be trusted.

He smiled out at the bright cityscape and dispelled himself, the information of the Kage Bunshin instantly transferred to the original. When the Jedi had sliced him in half, Orochimaru knew that those weapons were something to fear. To make sure that he himself wouldn't be endangered should he pull out a trick or two, Orochimaru had switched with a Kage Bunshin while the original headed back to the lab. He was already at the entrance when the clone's memories returned to him. "Hmph. Amateurs." He pushed the single door open, stepped inside and closed it again, sealing it off with a paper seal.

Inside, there was only darkness; no light whatsoever. But to his trained eyes, he could every step of the long stairway. The only sounds he heard were the sounds of his feat and the breath from his mouth. Many minute passed before he finally hit bottom. Now he was in a narrow hallway that led to who-knew-where. Well, he did, but that's beside the point.

He continued on, going deeper and deeper in the forgotten lower levels of Coruscant's factory center. He passed by numerous sets of equipment that hummed with dull life: Old generators, broken gears, rotten and moldy food, battered steel plates, and the smell of dead animals was fierce. Not that he cared. It was better that way. After all, who would think someone lived here?

He had no rush, but neither was he patient enough to simply stroll through the maze of passageways to get to his destination. But he needn't wait long. He soon came to a heavy solid door with dozen's of paper seals attached all over it. He grabbed the handle of the door and it swung open, the seals recognizing the chakra of their creator. Again, he closed the door once inside. It was an ancient manufacturing plant that was now abandoned. The door he just closed was a back entrance to the warehouse in which he now stood. Very few crates were left so the entire area was for the most part open. Over in one corner was a hanging lamp, lit and buzzing with energy. It hung over what appeared to be an operating table, fresh blood still present on it. Orochimaru bypassed it and headed for a nearby computer station, several monitors attached to it, each displaying some set of data. Orochimaru, being the one who set them up, knew which was doing what, and the data from before his outing had finally finished analyzing.

Bringing up a set of results, he scrolled through them, skimming, but not missing a detail. Finally he reached the end o the report and sighed. _'Inconclusive, as usual.' _

He minimized those screens and brought up a set of real-time images. Cameras placed around the area were set up for motion activation, and those of the alley should have recorded the fight, as he had instructed them. Brining those specific ones up, he hit play and sat back to watch and study the fight that he had left only minutes ago.

_'Let's see what secrets these pictures hold.'_

* * *

**Time: Unknown  
Location: Tatooine, Judland Wastes**

Naruto was worn. A day and a half of walking didn't get him any closer to where he felt he needed to go. Even though he'd traveled nonstop since he'd heard the voice, he felt it growing fainter and fainter, as though its source was getting farther and farther away from him. He wasn't losing it, but it was quieter now.

It wasn't until midday that he began to feel a bit of the fatigue born from his marathon. When the suns were at their hottest, Naruto knew he had to keep moving more than ever or he'd burn up. Climbing to the top of a particularly large dune, he shielded his eyes and looked across the rolling sands for any sign of either civilization or the source of the voice.

Nothing. Nothing but sand, sand, and more sand. Naruto was beginning to wonder whether that was what the planet was made of, and was becoming more and more convinced of it the farther he went. Even with his ungodly stamina, he couldn't fight the desert.

He needed water badly. The Kyuubi was already busy slaving away at his body, converting every spare molecule into hydration, extracting every bit of water from the boy's waste… All so its container would survive. But Naruto knew if he didn't find some sort of nourishment, he would die. With that knowledge, he pushed himself on, further into the drifting dunes, praying to any god out there that he would soon find his destination.

Perhaps what happened next was an answer to that prayer, though he'd never really know. His body finally gave out on him. Out of moisture and out of hope, he fell to the ground, to the waiting arms of unconsciousness.

* * *

**A/N: Well that one was extremely dificult to write, but also fun at the same time. Again sorry for the tons of details, but i felt it was neccessary or i'd have way too much fragmented sentances of nothingness. Ahem, anyway, reviews are loved with affection!! ^_^ **

**P.S. Long reveiews are more helpfull than small ones. (i.e. "Great job!" as compared to"I love how you did... but I dont like... work on... I love this story!") Get it? _BUT!!_ That doesnt mean i dont love the samll nes too! Its just i PREFER the bigger ones lol Well, hit the shiny button below already :P 'Till next time!**


	4. Chapter 4: Creation is so Precious

**A/N: Okkk... how to explain this, how to explain... Oh! I've got it! I Got lost on the road to life-... No no, that wont work... How about "There was this old lady and she asked me for a help and I..." No, that wont work either. Gah! Fine, I guess I'll jsut tell the painful truth... I WAS LAZY, OK? I had little to no motivation to work on S&S, and since I wanted to update that one fore this one, I didn't get this one updated either. PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I want to update, ir ealy do, but I just can't find the motivation. Well, I finaly found the motivation for this story, but again, I wanted to update S&S. Eventualy, though, I just got fed up with it and did this one. That motivation comes in the form of a certain game I like to play, and trust me it will flow. I already have the story planned out with this new element in mind, so its not like I'm just randomly putting it in there. Also, this is part of a two chapter special. **

**Also, some of you have comented on my needing to add more Naruto time. Well, what I had inteded on doing was have it Akatsuki and co. and little Naruto one chapter, then Naruto and co. and a little Akatsuki the next. And then just alternate. But I suppose you forced my hand. Now don't complain about the outcome then, because you asked for it!**

**Anyway, Read and Reviewreviewreviewreviewwwww! K? ^_^**

**

* * *

****Chapter 4: Creation is so Precious...**

**Time: Near midnight.  
Location: Tatooine, Judland Wastes. **

Naruto's eyes finally fluttered open, bit by bit. He picked himself up slowly and examined his surroundings. Apparently he hadn't moved from where he fell earlier that day. He felt his body protest his movement, but Naruto knew he'd die for good if he didn't move.

His mouth was dry enough for his tongue to stick to the roof of his mouth and make him try to suck up some saliva just to wet his mouth. It didn't work. There was not an ounce of moisture left in his body. Trying to stand up only caused him more pain as he collapsed and tumbled down the dune. With a disorienting thud, he landed at the bottom. He panted in thirst as he spit out a mouthful of sand.

He rolled onto his back, gazing up at the clear sky. Normally this would be a welcome relief, but clears skies meant no clouds, and no clouds meant no rain or shade. _'Not a sign of civilization anywhere…' _Naruto thought, obviously depressed. Not a soul in sight; and in the darkness of the desert, no one was safe.

His eyes slowly closed. _'I… I can't… go on… anymore…'_ And again he drifted off into the waiting arms of sleep.

* * *

**Time: A few hours after midnight.  
Location: Tatooine, Judland Wastes.**

Naruto's eyes slowly opened. He rubbed them with his hands and the cursed himself as he realized he was covered in sand.

At the top of the dune, he looked down and saw, to his amazement and immense relief, a sail boat that seemed to float above the sand. At this point Naruto didn't care about _how_ it was doing it, or how surprised he should be that it was. He was just thankful to have found civilization. Well… of a sort.

With a second wind, he picked himself up and hobbled over to the slowly gliding giant. Jumping onto its side and latching onto it with the last of his chakra, he slowly and quietly climbed on board. The deck was bare and made of metal, as was the rest of it. He looked around, trying to find some sort of liquid. Quietly sneaking across the barren deck, he eventually picked up the faint sound of snoring from the lower decks. Naruto found a staircase leading down to the, which he treaded on. Below, if Naruto had the energy to jump and scream, he would have. A massive assortment of creatures were strewn around the floor, sleeping.

There were creatures with leathery skin, wrinkled faces, missing digits, gut-wrenching stenches, weapons of all sizes… Naruto would have shouted in shock, but his body wouldn't allow it. It barely even let him stand up. Not seeing any kind of drinks, he crawled back up the stairs. The smell below was far too musky to stay down there in his current state. He saw another hatch on the deck and opened it, wincing at the grating noise it made. He hesitated, listening. Nothing was off. He set the lid down quietly and dropped down. There were even more strange creatures here. And the massive slug like creature on the dais in the middle of them al made his nearly wretch out what little anything was in his stomach. He looked away quickly. Thank goodness too, because his looking away let his gaze land on a bar toward the back. His mouth watered in anticipation.

Tip-toeing around the various strewn about creatures, he made it to the back. _'Oh! Thank Kami! Water!'_ Yes, there were several bottle of water below the bar. He grabbed several and stuffed them into his pack. He didn't even have the energy, or patience to seal them in a scroll. He was so anxious to get back to the deck that he ran in between the randomly placed sleepers. Not that they cared. They were too tired to care about some guy who had motion sickness.

Back on deck, Naruto fell backward. Landing with a thud, he immediately pulled out a bottle and put it to his lips. The chapped skin softened as soon as the clear liquid touched the decaying flesh. In less than twenty seconds the bottle was empty and another was drawn. It too was drained dry. Naruto panted heavily as the bottle dropped to the ground. He breathed deeply, feeling the cool water swish down his throat and into his belly. He sighed contentedly as he lay there. He was ready to get some sleep for sure, but security came first. This boat was the only civilization he had seen so far, aside for those robed creatures (and they weren't too friendly). The decision was made; he would hide away on this ship and see if he could eventually get somewhere. If all else failed, he could always just hit the supply closet, seal it up in a couple scrolls and dash away.

He just hoped they'd get somewhere fast. He could only hide for so long a cramped dinghy like this.

**

* * *

****Time: Unknown**  
**Location: Unknown**

"_Aren't you done yet Sanjei? We're all watin' on ya."_ The English accent came through the com system clearly.

"_Yeah yeah, give me a minute. I'm trying to sell some of my crap here."_ The voice was that of an average human. Very annoyed I might add.

"_Um, if I may… why didn't you do this earlier when we had time?"_ Came another voice. The accent wasn't very recognizable, but it was close to the first person's.

"_Sanjei if you don't get over here we're gonna leave without you. And then you'll be stuck here. Forever."_

"_I said hold on a fricken' second! Sheesh, always so fricken impatient."_ Came Sanjei's voice again in mock irritation.

"_You know, I should probably be annoyed as well, but this happens way too often to surprise me."_ Came a fourth voice.

"_Hey Apollos, what ships are ya bringing?"_ The first voice asked, obviously much more patient with this one.

"_Uh the Tia Tanaka. Why?"_

"_Ah I was just curious."_

"_Well, Mr. Impatient, I'm done. So we can get this op rolling."_ Came Sanjei's voice over the com.

"_Aww, and I was so close to finding out where you live so I could beat you until you actually obeyed."_

"_Oh Hahaha… Very funny Lethal."_ Sanjei retorted. Lethal (the first voice) was a codename. Everyone in the group could have one, or they could use their real name, as in Sanjei's case. He just didn't care.

"_Ok Ladies, just jump to me and we'll get going."_ Lethal said. "Geminyer, you go ahead and check it out. We don't want to be ambushed as me make the final run."

"_Okay."_

Black Lister floated aimlessly around Lethal's ship. Well, that is, floated in the amniotic fluid contained inside a small neural control center within the ship. That center was actually another very small ship that could detach from the ship in the event of its destruction. Basically it was an escape pod. But the unique thing about it was that within these pods (for everyone else had one as well) were several connectors that linked the human brain with the command system of the ship. They could fly it as if it were an extension of their own body.

Black Lister felt his head shake. Lethal's command ship lay just below him. And below _him_ was a large energized construct. Plates of metal interconnected with visible energy. In a moment, Geminyer (the third voice), used a remote command to activate the machine. Black Lister watched as Geminyer's ship vanished into space. Using the camera drones surrounding his ship, Black Lister looked at the gathered members. Most of them were from his small corporation, Onyx Heavy Industries. Sanjei had just jumped in as Geminyer jumped out. Lethal, Black Lister, Sanjei Anagei, Gaminyer, Method, Apollos, Anczak, Ghuldini, and Rai Hetoquis were all present. Method and Rai were close friends of Black Lister's and not affiliated with any particular group of pilots. They came along only at the approval of Lethal, who was very reluctant at letting them come along. Rai wasn't very skilled yet and was fairly new to his position. Method was better versed, but still relatively inexperienced.

"_It looks pretty much clear here. You can probably jump through now."_ Geminyer's voice came over.

"_Okie dokie. Everyone jump to Geminyer."_ Lethal's jet black and blood red ship also vanished into the distance in an instance. One by one they all vanished until it was only Rai Black, Lister and Method. Only Black Lister knew their real names. Rai Hetoquis was short for Raidden, and Method's real name was Josiah Valorous.

"_So... do we just go ahead and jump?"_ came Rai's confused voice over the com. Black Lister would have nodded if his ship had a head. "Yeah, go ahead and jump."

With an affirmation, both ships zoomed into the infinite horizon. Black Lister looked around for a moment before using his cameras to zoom in on the device. He sent his ship up next to it and stopped. He switched to the ship intercom. "Attention all crew. Prepare for hyperspace acceleration."

A series of responses flooded his brain. When he was sure his crew was ready, he remotely activated the device. In an instant, his ship was sent hurtling through space, stopping only when his ship reached the beacon set up. His ship slowed to a stop amidst the others. Each of them pointed to… well, any uneducated person would call it spatial optical illusion. But it wasn't. The twisting center and bubble like appearance was obvious, and it pointed out, ever so clearly, what it really was.

A wormhole.

Black Lister had been in several, and found many others. Not like it was difficult. His scanning skills were decent and he was able to find pretty much anything, given time. True, he may not have had the speed for fast scans, but he was patient. With a thought he brought up data on the wormhole from the ships passive scanning systems.

_WORMHOLE Z113:_

"_This wormhole seems to lead into unknown parts of space."_

"_This wormhole has not yet begun its natural cycle of decay and should last for an indeterminate amount of time."_

"_This wormhole has not yet had its stability significantly disrupted by ships passing through it."_

'_Never seen a wormhole like this before.'_ He thought. He wouldn't have even known about this one if it wasn't for one guy "happening" to mention it in one of the many channels he frequented.

"_Careful guys. This wormhole doesn't seem to have a class, so it's probably a wild card. It could stick us anywhere from class one to class six wormhole space."_ Lethal said. _'I have no idea how we got conned into this in the first place.'_

"_Alright. Apollos, anything in there?"_

Silence.

"…_Yeah, looks clear. Go ahead and jump in."_ Came the man's voice, finally. With bursts of distortion, each ship there began to disappear. Black Lister didn't wait for the others, he jumped with the first group. The second wave of fellow corporation members were already on their way. Onyx had about seventy members, most of which barely even helped. This was one way they finally could. They were all in transport ships hauling ass to catch up with the rest of the fleet.

Black Lister looked around. This was different. Instead of the usual colorful background that he had come to associate with wormholes there was only pitch blackness, aside from the stars. Initial scans showed only one sun and one planet nearby. "Not even a customs station."

"_Yeah that means no one's set up planetary installations yet."_ Came Apollos' voice.

"Then if you don't mind, when the haulers get here, I call first dibs on locations." Black Lister called out.

"…_You brought your planet stuff with you…?"_ Lethal asked after a slightly awkward silence.

"Well, the other guys are picking it up. I didn't actually bring it with me." He was already scanning the planet for resources. It was a semi baron planet with a decent amount of Noble Metals. Easy to turn into Precious Metals and fairly valuable if harvested in abundance.

"_Oook." _

Lethal always teased Black Lister for his decisions. Not like he really meant to hurt him, and he didn't… usually. No, Black Lister knew he only meant well. As an experienced player far beyond his own skill, Lister knew he knew what he was talking about.

He didn't bother responding. The planet was marked as his and no one else would mind. _'Even so, there's plenty of planet for them to share, I'm just getting first dibs on sites.'_ He reasoned in his mind.

"_Lethal, is the system secure?"_ A new voice came over. Black Lister checked his overview and saw the name of_ Roobski_ light up for a moment in his fleet window. Roobski could fly almost every ship in the known galaxy and because of that, he was piloting a _Charon_. It was a large rectangular ship that could carry near eight-hundred-thousand cubic meters of whatever they needed. Inside it was the items required for building an outpost station here in the wormhole.

Half expecting the wormhole to collapse as soon as the massive 2,426 meter long freighter came through, He watched as it slowly came into view at the event horizon. It lumbered over to the nearby planet, the rest of the fleet in tow. Two others had been stationed by the wormhole to guard the smaller incoming transports full of fuels, supplies and personnel. Black Lister had no standing orders (being a long standing member with the corporation gives you a bit of freedom) so he just settled to watch as automatons buzzed around the _Charon_ as its external loading hatches opened, revealing the precious materials inside. One by one the small machines dragged the equipment out and began fitting them together as per blueprint specs. Bit by tiny bit, the station was being constructed.

"_Hey Lister. Want your stuff?"_ Chidoryy asked, he pulled his _Iteron V_ industrial cargo ship up next to Lister to watch the show. "Nah, I'll wait until we have the storage facilities up. No point in letting the cans (short for cargo cans) lay around until then."

"_Sure there's a point; I don't have to haul your crap anywhere else."_

"Hmm… still no." There was silence as they both dropped it and continued to watch.

Since the structure of all the station and its modules were intermingled, the mechanical constructors began building them all at once what whatever they pulled out. They pulled it out, knew what it was, and added it where it needed to go. It slowed down the construction but it meant that everything was going at a steady pace and would be done at the same time.

The peaceful moments like this were what Black Lister enjoyed the most. He loved enjoying them with his crew. He rotated his ship to the port side was showing the marvelous sight. He'd had his ship modified with all sorts of gadgetry and minute items, such as a visual intercom, light up floor and ceiling paneling that included multicolored arrows for easy direction. If a new crew member had trouble finding his station and no one was helping, it wasn't hard for Lister to guide him to his post. And now those lights were all directing the crews to the port windows. Cameras showed they were enjoying the view.

He loved his crews. He had multiple ships, all of various sizes. Each ship had a crew, and he grew attached to them easily.

He'd lost all of them.

None of them had survived. Each had died in a fiery explosion while his ejection pod floated of to the side of the wreck. The first time he had lost a ship, he had cried for a day. The crew had been with him for years and he never dreamed of losing it.

Since then he had grown increasingly detached from his crews. This one was just like his first one though. He had tried to remain cold and uncaring, but they were just so helpless in the beginning, he couldn't help but act like a mentor figure and teach them the ropes. Of course, none of them knew is real face, or even his real name. His hid behind the alias "Black Lister" and a digital projection of what he wanted them to see. A cold face surrounded by cool blue electronic light. But they learned after a while that that image contrasted with his actions. Of course they all knew that wasn't his real face. Everything they knew about him was a lie; even his voice was synthesized. The only thing they could count on was his patience and gentleness. But that was it. Not a shred of anything else. He never once left his pod, except to eat and sleep. And even then he locked himself in his private quarters directly next to the pod chamber.

There were only four people who had ever seen his face. His mother, his father (he presumed he had one) himself and one other. That one other was his personal assistant. She was the one who's job it was to disconnect him from the ship's inter-neural network. He had kept her station inside the pod. She was too valuable to him, in that sense.

She had been a part of his sixth crew. It has been a _Thorax_ cruiser he had lost against a group of pirates in an asteroid belt. Fortunately he had already outfitted another Thorax with equipment and crew, leaving it to sit there until he had lost the first one. Immediately boarding the ship, he returned to the belt.

They certainly weren't expecting his imminent return. The first volley from his hybrid guns tore through the shields and halfway through the armor of the first frigate vessel. The other three immediately locked onto him and attacked. Fortunately, this _Thorax_ had been better fitted. Using the rewards from corporate missions and pirate bounties, he had managed to, little by little, buy better equipment.

The second frigate exploded. A destroyer, fitted with eight large weapons of which type Black Lister didn't care to notice, began to annoy him. It was the next to explode. The last of them was a cruiser. Of Caldari origin to be sure; its asymmetrical shape and numerous blinking blue lights gave it away. However, its tan hull indicated that it was not a part of the Caldari Navy.

All the easier to destroy it then. And so it too was reduced to a blinding blue explosion. Lister looked around, panning the ship's cameras to and fro, examining the chaos. Satisfied, he returned to his wreck, which had yet to be looted. Sending out salvage drones, they began cutting into the scorched and mangled wreck for recoverable materials. Most of the usable equipment was salvaged after a few minutes. Not much was left. Some antimatter ammunition, a decent sized armor plate, a gun or two, and a shield booster. _'At least it's something…'_ He had thought. He let his drones get to work while he looked at the other wrecks. His drones could only salvage within two-thousand and five hundred meters of his ship before they returned, lest they shut off from the lack of a command signal. Fortunately all the wrecks were well within that range.

So he set about looting the wrecks of his vengeance. Not much there either. Just a few minerals that could be sold, another gun, and some missiles from the cruiser along with a launcher. Heading back to his wreck he waited a few more minutes before getting bored enough to zoom in on several different pieces of the wreck. He didn't entertain the cliché idea that he was "drawn to it somehow." It was pure boredom. But in that mangled mess, in the impossibly entangled cords and cables was a drifting body. The space suit had been badly burned, and he could see a trail of blood swimming through space. With a burst of neurons, a duo of salvage drones zoomed over to the poor soul. Upon closer inspection, he could tell that nearly the whole left side of the body was missing.

A light beeping from the ship drew his attention. Data streamed through his mind, data from the linked drones. It was unthinkable… completely incomprehensible that the person might be alive. Yet here it was; the hard fact that this woman (he noted with interest) was in fact still breathing, however shallowly. A twist of thought commanded the drones, and they obeyed. He watched them in fascination as they brought the body to the cargo hold. By the time the body had hit the floor from the nearly endearing drone's large appendage, there was already a team of medics there to assist.

It was only a few seconds, but they had already pronounced her to be irrecoverable. The portrait of his face on the screen they spoke to quirked an eyebrow. "Impossible you say?"

"I'm sorry sir. There's nothing I can do for her." The wizened old doctor said with a sad sigh. Ahh, the bane of all living things; impossibility. Truly, the girl was lucky to stay alive even after the core of the ship went up, vaporizing most of the hull and those within it. Sadly, she wasn't so lucky with her injuries. It would dishearten the crew, he realized. That there were no survivors from wrecks was usually a fact. No one really thought about it though, lest they turn back on their job. But here they saw that there was perhaps hope of life after destruction. The sad thing was that whatever life they might get will be as short as this girl's.

But then an idea occurred to him. It wouldn't be impossible to save this girl. It may with the ship's current facilities, but not with a _station's._ His physical body smirked slightly. The ship lurched suddenly and jumped to the nearest station. Not thirty seconds later the ship's docking request was accepted. As the tractor beam slowly pulled them into the station, Black Lister began a conversation with the medical ward of the small trade hub. "Is this procedure possible here?" He asked.

The director on the other side of the line nodded and looked at a screen below him. "Yesir. Our facilities are state of the art. Though it will be more expensive than if you were to do it an academy station." He added with twinkle in his eyes.

BL scoffed. "Money is trivial to me. Just get it done." As soon as the transmission was cut, he saw a team of medics from the station run up to his own ship's crew. They put the dying girl on a stretcher and took her away. The operation, if successful, would take about an hour. In the mean time, he had goods to sell. The combined looted materials only got him about 62,000 credits. No surprise there. He browsed the market looking at all the ships available in the region, as he often did when he was bored. He loved looking at the minute details of each vessel, how their makers focused on a specific function of the ship and improved upon it in later versions.

He had just gotten through interceptor frigates when the camera drones spotted movement outside. The return of his crew. They were talking amongst themselves as they boarded. As soon as the hatch closed behind them, Lister's face appeared in a two dimensional projected screen. "So?"

"We did it.' was their only answer. He assumed none of them had seen that kind of operation before. But he did. He had it done before. Many…_many_ times.

His face on the screen nodded. "Very good. Go ahead and announce it to the crew." He ignored their confused looks and cut the feed. They may not understand it, but he knew that telling the crew that everything would be alright would prove to them that they need not be afraid of this ship's destruction.

Moral was an important factor of naval warfare. The operation? Copying the exact formation of the brain and its waves to create an exact duplicate of the woman's mind, memories, sensations, skills, personality, everything; all saved in the station's mainframe. Unfortunately the process by which they copied her mind, and indeed anyone's mind unfortunately leaves them as a vegetable. But it didn't matter, she was probably dead by now anyway.

"She's dead? Then what was the point?" You ask? Simple. All those things that made her _her_ would be copied and downloaded into the mind of a clone, grown at an accelerated rate. It would only take a day or two to grow it. That fit right in with his schedule.

He came back after those two days and landed in the hanger. Many would question his choice to waste time for one crew member out of the near two thousand aboard his ship. They were all idiots in his eyes. The presence of the one who lived would only cement the fact that death meant nothing, and could be avoided. If they didn't understand that, then they were simply trash.

He watched as the woman stood at the loading ramp. Now that he had time to, he was able to examine her. She had red hair that stopped at the middle of her back, graceful features, her skin unblemished and a light tan. His camera's didn't have the resolution to se much more about her until she got inside. He could clearly see she was nervous. Stepping back on board the ship she had almost died in (the ship model was the same, and the captain was the same so it was pretty much the same for her) was, Black Lister had to admit, a little nerve wracking.

She carried on a small bag with a few belongings in it, namely cloths and other general necessities. She would probably buy more when it came time to be paid.

Pitiable. Really. But what she didn't realize was that BL had a different station for her than before. He had already used a blood sample to find out who she was on his previous vessel. Kora Ikari. According to her background check, he had run away from home at the tender age of fifteen. Her father was an alcoholic, now registered as deceased and her mother apparent had died a year before she left. Unfortunately the record indicates a four year gap where nothing happened. Then she appeared one day looking for a job. The councilor advised ship crewman of some sort aboard a capsuleer's ("capsuleer" was a term that indicated those who use the inter-neural network of the pod to link one's mind to the ship while their body remained in suspended animation) ship. When asked what her specialties were, she had said, quote, "There's nothing special about me." Unquote. She had been given a list of potential ships she could join in the region and had chosen his because it was of a decent size to be well defended. Of those kinds of ships she had randomly chosen one. She had happened to choose his.

But she was now something _very_ special. She was a symbol of life after death. As was he. He would not have her doing work that could potential kill her. That was why in those two days of waiting, he had had his capsule retrofitted with a type of small living quarters for the girl. He wanted her as close to himself as possible. The reason for this was purely symbolic. She stood by an "Immortal;" one who couldn't be killed. Again, moral was an important factor and he knew it. Normal humans were so… Temperamental. He couldn't have that.

Over time their relationship of subordinate and superior became more than that and formed a deep friendship. She was the last one he ever told his name to. She still worked for him, outside the chamber where his body floated in the yellow liquid. Since the pod couldn't risk having a window, he'd had a high-resolution holo-screen put in so she could see the outside from his point of view. He'd even had her have an implant that allowed her to be a part of the ship, just as he was. The implant was a small socket at the base of the neck. This was where every capsuleers attached themselves to their ships. Even now that cord floated next to him the gel. Hers did the same, though since she wasn't actually controlling the ship, she didn't need to have her animation suspended.

That process was only required so that the pilot could focus solely on the ship and the ship alone. It also acted as an insulator from impact vibrations.

Even now, the ship, his _body_ for all intents and purposes, told him she was looking at the scene outside with similar abandon as the other crew.

He smirked unknowingly. She was diligent, that was for sure; it was her job to make sure his body was safe and secure in the globe of fluid he floated in, and she always made sure to take extra, sometimes unnecessary precautions. Why, he didn't know. He supposed she feared he'd remove her if she didn't, which was simply ridiculous. He'd have to talk to her about that one of these days.

"_Bump." _

Lister was shaken from his thoughts as his ship veered off course. He turned his camera drones around and saw Sanjei in his battle cruiser hovering right above him. All ships had shields that would repel against each other if touched. When first discovered, hundreds of pilots suddenly found an unexplainable joy in shooting their ships out as fast as possible and bumping into another ship. Black Lister had to admit, it was fun. Ok, _very_ fun.

"Yes Sanjei?" He asked.

"_I don't know. I'm bored."_

"Never would have guessed."

The Station was almost set up. BL hadn't realized but it had been almost three hours since he'd begun recollecting. Time really does fly when you're not paying attention. The station modules and extensions weren't active yet, but the station shield generator was.

"_Ok hit it!"_ The words came over his intercom from the live mechanics working in space suits or operating drones manually. The station came online with a flash in lights. _"Ok, systems check."_

"_Main power links green."_

"_Shield generator green. Flux coils could use some maintenance but they'll be fine for now."_

"_Habitation modules red. I'm guessing they haven't been 'onlined' yet."_

"_CPU levels green. Well more like a yellow-green…"_

"_It's good enough. Ok, start loading the fuel."_ The cargo bays where the fuel for the station was to be housed opened and one by one small shipments of fuel were placed inside. As soon as the shield fuel was paced inside and hooked up a silver transparent bubble spread itself out over the structure. It was a good thirty kilometers wide from one end of the shield to another, giving them plenty of room to place the necessary attachments to the station. But this was the boring part. No one cared anymore. One by one, the fleeted ships either entered the shield and docked up (unloading their cargo in the massive floating cargo bays), stood guard, or left to get more materials from the other side of the wormhole.

Little did they know that they were treading dangerous ground: the borderlands between the Chiss and the Vagaari were a dangerous place to be.

"_Hang on, I've got something on directional."_ Apollos' voice warned. Immediately everyone else in the fleet pulled up their own directional scan to confirm it. Indeed, it was true. All that showed on their screens were their fellow ships, the sun, the planets, the station and one lone UNKNOWN.

"Why's it say UNKNOWN? It should either give the ship and its name or show as Sleepers."

"_Dunno mate. But for safeties sake let's get the haulers inside the shields. If you are at the wormhole keep an eye out for hostiles."_ As usual, Lethal took charge of the situation. All combat ships stayed outside the shield while the transport ships stayed inside, protected. A mixture of ships of various sizes shape and colors loitered about, prepared for combat. Sleepers we deadly machine ships, much like Rogue Drones, that inhabited wormholes. The higher the class of wormhole, the stronger the Sleepers. Unfortunately they wouldn't know what class of wormhole this was until they fought the inhabitants.

"Got another UNKNOWN." Everyone refreshed their directional scan and confirmed it again. "Rai, Method, follow me." Black Lister called. Both did as ordered and followed him. He pointed his battle cruiser and headed back towards the station, but didn't enter the shields. _"Since you guys aren't so good at tanking, you'll be support ships. Wait for the other guys to target us before you attack."_ They acknowledged and waited. To be honest, even though Black Lister could tank fairly well, he was only average.

Lethal, buried deep within the confines of his Caldari Nighthawk command ship had the most powerful tank Lister had ever seen. Never once had he seen his shields drop below ninety percent. Not only did he have an ungodly amount of shields, thanks to special next-generation modules, but he also had an incredible damage-dealing capacity. Six massive missile bays filled with Caldari Navy Scourge heavy missiles made any potential target quake in their pods.

Lister also wasn't long range. His ship, a Gallente Myrmidon battle cruiser, was essentially a large ship with limited firepower. It housed a plethora of automated combat and support drones, which he was able to command fairly well. His skills were only so good with them though. That was why he considered himself a medium skilled player. He had no specific specialty, but did average in everything. Except industry; he didn't dare touch the stuff. His ship was tanked to the maximum he could in shields, using large shield extending modules and shield reinforcements.

Josiah, or Method, was in a Minmatar Hurricane-class battle cruiser. Heavily defended by shields and sporting a dangerous looking armament of 425mm prototype automatic cannons and a duo of powerful heavy assault missiles.

Raidden was in a Caldari Caracal cruiser, a ship class directly below battle cruiser. He was much newer to pod-piloting and it showed in his skills. He was outfitted with a mild shield defense, as all Caldari ships specialized in, and fielded four or five assault missile launchers loaded with standard Scourge misiles.

Now many of you might be wondering what the f*** I'm talking about. It's quite simple. In the galaxy of New Eden, there exist five races.

The first to learn space flight was the Amarr Empire. Highly religious, they treat their king or queen as an instrument of god. Their ships specialized in armor endurance and laser technology.

The Minmatar Tribes were a young race when the Amarr invaded and enslaved them. For nearly a thousand years the Minmatar were treated as beasts and worked for their cruel masters. Then the day came when the Minmatar rose up and overthrew the Amarrians, driving them back to their former boarders. Their ships are deadly at both long and close range, punching holes through enemy ships with their projectile based weaponry, and excel heavily in speed. However, there is no "middle range" for them, giving their ships a small plane of mild damage when at a certain range.

The Gallente Federation is the only democratic government in New Eden and they consider themselves the keepers of peace and freedom. And they do for the most part, keeping an open door policy to foreigners. Their ships were built to specialize in drone warfare. Even then smallest ship can field a standard combat drone. Their ships rely heavily on these drones and the drones subsequently function far better than the drones of the other races. Their hybrid weaponry is a mix of Minmatar projectiles and chemical bonding. The shells contain charges of different elements that do different types of damage at different ranges.

The Caldari State, in contrast, stands for corporate capitalism in its purest form. There are eight great Corporations that together own more than 90% of all property within the State. Each of the corporation is made up of thousands of companies of various sizes and various sorts, ranging from simple mining companies to powerful police companies. There is no single, unified government as such, each corporation rules it's territories like their own kingdom with little or no interference from the other corporations. In higher matters, such as foreign policy towards the other empires, the Board of Directors, which consists of the CEOs of the eight major corporations, has the highest authority. Recently however, the eight mega-corporations have been united, however deviously, under Tibus Heth, the official Head of State. They are the only race to actively field missiles as their primary weapon and the Gallente hybrid weapons as a secondary, less common weapon. Their shields use almost exclusively shield as their primary defense. The pros and cons are that while they hard to take down initially, once their shield is gone, their armor and hull (the next two defenses in order) are, as commonly stated, "paper thin".

The fifth and final race is the most powerful and reclusive of them all. The Jove Empire, whose space is currently locked down from the inside, has technology far beyond even the Amarr Empire. Their ships and their abilities are closely guarded secret now, and they refuse to make contact with the outside world. It wasn't always this way though. At one point they were fairly open in their dealings, and few pod pilots know about them. Those that do speak of their greatness and spin tales about their past exploits. The greatest of which was their climactic conflict with the Amarr. The Amarrians, in all their self-conceited glory, turned on the Jovians in an attempt to subjugate them. The Jovians, though few in number (due to a psychological disorder caused from their strict emotionless society that cause an always-fatal depression), faced off against a major segment of the Amarr Navy at the boarder of their own space.

The battle lasted only ten minutes. It was a cruel one-sided butchery. The Amarrians were completely obliterated, and due to their strict doctrines, retreat was not an option. They died in vain. To make matters worse, the enslaved Minmatar, now seeing a chance to escape, rebelled. With the loss of a large portion of their fleet, the Amarr were unable to contend with an uprising of such scale. Unfortunately however, the Jove retreated to their own space some time later.

Recent events have brought them back to the spot light, if only as a nation, but that is for another time.

Black Lister was a Gallente, and so had extensive drone skills. However, ironically, he was better at shield defense than armor hardening, the main, but not only defense of choice for Gallente vessels. To make it even more bizarre, he outfitted his ship with Minmatar artillery cannons. It was odd yes, but his energy capacitor would run out of power far too fast if he used hybrid weapons. Fortunately Minmatar weapons did not use energy to fire, since their ammunition worked quite similarly to a bullet.

Just some metal and gunpowder.

Those very artillery cannons were loaded with highly volatile Phased Plasma. It was the ammo of choice for most Matari weapon users. Though it was better at closer rage, compared to most ammo, it delivered a decent punch to enemy ships. The only problem with them was that their reload cycle was far too slow for his liking. Several other ships approached from behind. Most of them were Minmatar or Caldari with a few Gallente and the even rarer Amarr. Pod pilots, capsuleers, were not limited by race to what ships they could fly. Black Lister could fly almost every first generation craft, commonly known as "Tech I", all the way up to battle cruiser. Roobski on the other hand could fly almost every ship out there in New Eden. So while he _could_ fly different ship, Lister decided he liked the defenses of his Myrmidon. He could easily be in something bigger, lie a battleship by this point, but he had decided it might be better to be a "jack of all trades" in that sense. He was trained in all four nation's ships and weaponry, however limited.

Seconds ticked by, only increasing Lister's, Method's and Raidden's anxiousness. None of them had been in true battles against other capsuleers, only against manned ship ruled by a captain. Capsuleers were different. They were far superior.

* * *

The Chiss pilot Kiril'maw'ntodo relaxed in the cockpit of his small star fighter. His group of four other fighters were traveling through hyperspace on their usual patrol run. The Vagaari weren't known for their honesty, thus a regular patrol of the boundary between the two peoples was necessary. The Vagaari were more like a pirate nation to be frank. They took what they wanted and did what they wanted. They considered themselves above the laws of others; any non-Vagaari was treated as cattle. All of their constant attempts at conquering Chiss space were consistently rebuffed. The Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet was a force to be reckoned with. But that didn't stop them from trying.

Over, and over, and over again.

He was jolted from his thoughts as the white tunnel of hyperspace deteriorated and vanished like fog in the warm morning sun. His tactical overlay showed his small squadron in formation behind him. Doing a quick, but thorough scan, he looked back at the overlay as the sweeping radar's arm traveled around the circular monitor. This was a normal day in his life, and he was honored to be a member of the CEDF, and of "Jeril squadron". A light pinging sound alerted him to the presence of a potential target. "I have a target on scan. Please confirm."

"_Target presence confirmed."_ Came his wingman's voice.

"Alright, altering course to investigate. Jaril 3, inform command of the situation."

"_As ordered."_ The female responded.

Aligning to the target, he pushed the button and the ship entered hyperspace. The trip was short, only lasting about thirty seconds at the most. The tunnel dissolved again and dropped them behind a rather large asteroid, part of a average sized belt. It was actually fortunate that they were deposited there; the high density of rocks, and their close proximity to them would hide their signature. Nudging his fighter around the rock until he could grab a visual, he began altering his star fighter's electronics for long range recon. He pulled the throttle back completely and let his ship drift. If he used too much energy, he would be detected.

When the asteroid cleared his vision, his breath caught in his chest. A group of well over thirty ships were milling about, rather uninterestingly, he had never seen such designs before, even in his Current Societies class. Then he looked beyond them and saw a towering structure. It was shaped like a needle, and a pale grey-silver. Scattered around it were structures of unknown purpose, all glowing with power. But how? How could a force of such size have set up a complex of such size and sophistication so fast and without detection?

A majority of the ships were rectangular, but there were others that were shaped differently. There were vertical ships, triangular ships, ships that looked like they were made from scrap, and ships that looked like they cost billions. But there was something he recognized. The planet Omore, the only celestial body in the Omore system. And he could easily see traffic from the station heading down to the planet.

"We need to inform HQ about this." He said into his com. Right before he was about to power up his craft and jump away, his sharp eyes spotted another threat. Seeing it, he considered waiting for a few minutes. They could gain some more data on them if they did. "Belay that; let's stay a few more minutes." A chorus of confused affirmations sounded. He waited with baited breath as he watched, sitting firward on the edge of his seat, the flight straps digging into his shoulders.

That new threat was a group of Vagaari cruisers.

* * *

"_I lost one of the UNKNOWNs."_ Method heard Black Lister report report. Method was refreshing his scanner like a madman, determined not to be caught off guard.

"_Yeah… I wouldn't worry about it though. They probably got scared off. But that's OK, we still have another UNKNOWN. Probably something that hasn't been added to the NEOCOM yet."_ Lethal commented.

A new icon appeared on his overview and it read UNKNOWN, just as it had on his scanner. A second later, two other ships appeared; same identification. Not thirty seconds after they appeared, a message was transmitted through subspace for all to hear. Unfortunately, it wasn't for all to understand.

"_Uhhhh, what'd he say?"_

"_I think he said 'please shoot me. I'm a big barn door and I drop good loot.'"_ Lethal said as if he actually understood it.

"_I bet he does."_ Raidden commented.

"_OK peeps, lock 'im up and open fire. Primary's up." _The first target was indentified on his overview as Lethal called targets.

"_Hey look, they use living shields."_ Someone piped in. A quick zoom-in confirmed it. They had glass bubbles all around their hulls, and inside them were prisoners and slaves. _'They probably did that so others would hesitate to shoot them.'_

"_And your point is…?"_

"_Nothing, Just thought I'd point that out." _

But that made absolutely no difference to the capsuleers. They cared little for the lives of plebeians or for civilian casualties.

An absolute torrent of lasers, hybrid shells, projectile streams and lines of missiles tore through space, melting, tearing, piercing and ripping the armor off of the ship. In less than ten seconds the ship detonated, sending pieces of itself floating through space.

"_Next primaries up."_

Cold, efficient, unflinching. None of them, not one, cared about hundreds, maybe thousands of lives that just perished.

The second cruiser was targeted and lit up. By this time, the third cruiser was firing uselessly at them. But one simple cruiser's fire would do nothing as the second was destroyed. The third obviously made to escape.

"_Huh, that's new. That's the first time I've seen rats run."_

"_With good reason though."_

It too was emolliated in a flash of orange light.

"_OK fellas, loot and salvage." _

_

* * *

_Kiril'maw'ntodo sat stunned. Well, sort of. He was surprised at the lack of hesitance these people displayed, and at the same time, was somewhat hoping they would attack the Vagaari. Now he hoped they wouldn't attack him as he brought his squadron up to full power and fled. He had recorded the entire event, and it needed to get back to the Chiss Ascendancy.

Even as his fighter lifted away from the asteroids, he could see the other ships turn to face him. But whether it was their intention to attack him or not, he would never know as his ship quietly slipped into hyperspace. Safe in the realm of faster-than-light travel, he was able to actually think about the event. However, his biggest question was not, _who were they_, but _were they a threat to the Chiss?_ The Vagaari were destroyed outright, but then again, they did transmit a system wide surrender message. They may have taken offence to that. But the political strategies were best left to the politicians. His job was to obey. And right now, his duty was to submit his report to the Ascendancy.

* * *

**A/N: OoooKK! That one took me forever. Thre days of straight writing (this one ad the next chapter). AND YES! I added EVE Online into the story! There are very few EVE stories and even fewer EVE crossovers. I felt it was somewhat necessary. Anyway, ****_Review_**** ppl! And say hi to my corp mates in the reviews! You'll be seeing a lot more of them (Chapter 5 will be up in a few hours)!**

**PS. If any of you are interested in making Fan Art for any of my stories, don't hesitate to ask, I'd realy appreciate it. If your interested, please tell me.**


	5. Chapter 5: And Greed so Destructive

**A/N: Aaaaaand Here's chapter five! I hope you like it! This was originaly part of chapter four, but I felt it would do better as a stand-alone chapter, and it didn't need to rely on the content from the last one. Now If you please, readeth and revieweth! **

* * *

**Chapter 5: ...And Greed so Destructive.**

**Time: Mid-morning  
Location: Tatooine, Western Dune Sea, Jabba's palace.**

Suffering…

Pain…

Humiliation…

Brutality…

Cruelty…

Apathy…

Agony…

Torture…

Insanity…

It was filling her with insanity. She couldn't take any more. It was killing her. It was almost too much. She was suffering. They gave her pain. She was taught humiliation, every second she was in their presence.

They showered her in brutality. They treated her cruelly. Not like they cared. And that made it all the more agonizing. They tortured her, daily. It was insane. All of it. How much longer would she have to endure all of it. How much longer _could_ she endure it?

Too much… It was too much. She'd had enough. But they hadn't. They wanted more. More pain, more screams, more pleads for cessation, more crying out in fear and depression. It only excited them more.

She was giving up. The will to live eluded her. She was fading. And it made her sad. She would die amidst all of _this._ And no one would care. No one would know. This world was horrible. She was nothing in their eyes. They were all strangers… creatures… monsters. It was the end for her.

Their master would return, and it would be Hell for her again. As if it wasn't bad enough with him gone.

She swore… she promised herself. She would die before he so much as looked at her again.

For her… It. Was. Over.

Naruto was knocked awake, quite literally, by a crate of luggage landing on his cranium. He shook his head and looked around, momentarily dazed and unaware of where he was.

Then it came back to him and he realized he need t to remain unseen. Quickly getting up, he swooned a bit as the blood rushed from his head to where it belonged. Regaining his balance he turned around and poked his head through an open panel that served as a window. The ship had slowed down considerably as it approached a large, circular building. He ducked back in grabbed his pack and clambered out the opening, clinging to the outside via chakra. He could hear the commotion up on deck as all those other people got ready to disembark.

He was allready prepared. The call was much stronger here than before. The voice was almost gone though: his dream that night showed him how little time he had before the person calling out ceased to exist. Wherever he was, he and that person were the only ones of their kind. He couldn't lose her, whoever she was. The Kyuubi hadn't conversed with him in three days; no hint of direction, no sarcastic remark about his inferior human body… Not even a grunt of annoyance. That concerned him greatly. He had only known the Kyuubi to do this in response to anxiety.

Anxiousness was never a good thing; not for the Kyuubi, not for him.

The massive vehicle slowly pulled into what he supposed was a dock specifically for this ship. Before it even slid to a stop, he jumped off and hid in the shadows. He didn't wait for them to get of either. The caller was close, and yet so far. He backed up into a nearby door, which opened upon contact. Dashing through it, He looked back to see if anyone was following. No one was. At least, not from that direction. Who would think they'd follow you from the front? Naruto ran headfirst into the armored belly of a fully decked warrior. Even a full T-visor helmet. The man had armor on almost every part of his body, and where didn't was covered almost entirely by weapons, and where he didn't have _those_ he wore a blue bodysuit underneath.

Naruto stumbled backwards a bit and held his head. "Itte!" The man cocked his head at him. Naruto opened his eyes (as he'd closed them in pain) and glared at the man, momentarily, distracted. He assumed it was a man… it was difficult to tell, but he looked masculine. "Nani mono da?"

'_Well this is odd.'_ Jango thought. He wasn't familiar with this language, and his helmet's translator that turned words into text wasn't registering. Add to it, this was a kid no older than seventeen in Jabba's palace. _'Kid must really want to work for the slug.'_

But he had things to attend to. He had come back only to tell Jabba that was retiring. Naturally he wouldn't dare do so empty handed. He'd brought a nice little body with a nice little bounty on its head. Jabba had been after this particular fellow for a while. Personal grudges an all that.

Brushing past the kid, he headed out to the dock for Jabba's luxury yacht. Business first.

Naruto looked after him. The guy hadn't even said anything. _'Maybe they don't notice people like me…'_ He had assumed they all knew each other and would notice him right away. Maybe he was wrong.

Stepping out of the hallway, he turned to see dozens of people rushing about, getting things prepared. For whom he didn't know and honestly didn't care. He could tell, they were all scum bags. And scum bag's leader is still a scum bag.

"**She's near."** Naruto jumped. The deep baritone voice scared him half to death. He was getting too used to not hearing the Kyuubi's voice apparently. "Where?" He muttered.

But the fox was silent, again. Naruto was pretty sure that he himself didn't know. Loitering in the shadows, he waited until the insanity of the people around him dulled to a slow annoyance. Then into the room came that giant, and he did mean giant, slug. Hauling itself across the concrete flooring, it finally came to a rest at the top of a dais in the middle of the room. It spoke in a loud booming voice in a language he didn't recognize. People ran about getting things and bringing them to him. Looked like food and stuff. Naruto noticed grimly that he seemed to enjoy snacking on a bowl of live frogs.

He watched from behind the crowd as others came forward, directly in front of him and spoke. They too spoke in a different language, but it was different from the slugs. It was then that Naruto noticed the signature of bounty hunters. Individuals would step forward present a token of some kind, a finger, a head, a ring, a hand, a glove, a handkerchief an eyeball, some money sometimes, or simply talk to him. Probably a report of some kind.

Naruto shifted around to one near-human. He stood directly behind and to the left of the slug, which he recognized as the position of a direct subordinate. He had two tentacles flowing from each side of his head. One was wrapped around his neck and the other hanging freely down his back. Naruto continued to watch the people walking forward while keeping an eye on the tentacle creature. If he could get to him, he could be potentially useful. It wasn't until about ten minutes into the reports that he noticed squid-head (as he so aptly named the Twi'lek majordomo) giving him strange glances.

Naruto averted his gaze and tried to ignore him. This pattern of get up, talk, bow, step back, and let some else step up went on for nearly an hour. He was getting noticeably bored with it. When no one else came forward, the dancers came out, and at some of them Naruto nearly heaved up the water in his belly. Others were somewhat beautiful, like the female squid-heads. Others, like the one woman with six breasts just made him gag. Like _what the hell?_

Shaking his head to clear it of those thoughts, he had no idea what to do now.

Bib Fortuna couldn't stop staring at the blond human. He had the brightest yellow hair he'd ever seen on a creature, that was for certain. There was also something about him that just seemed so familiar for some reason. Several times, the boy had seen him staring and he averted his gaze. Awkward yes, but it was bugging him to no end. But the oddest part was that while there was _something_ that seemed familiar, he was sure he had never seen the boy in his life. Which brought him to the question, _'What is he doing here?' _

Eventually the boy stopped looking back, which allowed Bib more time to study him, this time without worrying about being noticed. The boy wore a black and orange jumpsuit with sandals. On his back was blade of some kind. A pretty hot attire for the desert. A tap on his bicep brought him back to reality. He turned and saw a Nikto guard. He leaned in and whispered to the Twi'lek. "Sorry to disturb you sir, but that one bitch is giving us trouble again, more than usual this time."

If there was any time Bib could sigh in annoyance be justified by it, it was now. They'd picked the girl up at an auction and it was obvious she hadn't been broken by that time. She was constantly giving them problems. He had let the men do as they wished with her in an attempt to fix what the broker didn't do. Breaking a female could vary in several different ways. Treating her like trash over a period of months usually works as a universal method. Not for this girl. It had already been six weeks and it hadn't made any difference. She hadn't even been bedded yet. When the men had first tried, she had struggled, which he hadn't expected to be such a problem 'till now. A little bit of fight in them usually went a long way in the excitement of the men, and usually led to an even more satisfying time. Not only that but it was effective in saying "Your fighting, and still losing." It made them realize how futile it was to resist.

'_But this girl…'_ The men had come back battered and bruised. "It isn't worth it" they said. She was a very pretty human, and that was the only thing that kept her alive.

He was sick of her. She wasn't worth the trouble she was causing. It was only a matter of time before Jabba allowed him to kill her. In the mean time, he'd had her subjected to as much torture as she could take and stay conscious, which was surprisingly considerable. He was present for one particular session, and personally he'd found it most enjoyable.

She screamed like none other, and cried with real emotion. It was refreshing to know that there were still females that truly didn't enjoy the pain they received. He'd thought those kinds of girls had died out long ago. Jabba had expressed interest in her and said as much in a passing comment to Bib that he wanted to bed her very much (yes, Jabba has a bed, and private room. _Star Wars Galaxies:_ You can go inside it too… it's a _big..._).

But he would not give him a dissatisfying female, especially one that might try and hurt him. That would be Fortuna's demise incarnate. He blinked and realized he'd been staring off into space. He nodded his head and instructed the guard to let "EVE deal with her."

EVE-9D9 was the torture and interrogation droid for droids. She was particularly vicious with them and made sure they suffered, even though he had no idea how a droid could feel pain. But whether he thought they did or didn't she sure made it seem like they did. And after seeing what she could do to droids, he wondered what she could do with humans.

Actually, that seemed quite refreshing right now. Without another thought he followed after the guard.

Little did he know that he himself was followed. Slinking through the shadows of the hallways, Naruto kept the squid-face in his sights. He seemed like the sleazy type, and he was sure he would have an opening to threaten him for money, or whatever else he needed. Maybe a good translator. He continued to stalk him and the guard from a good fifty feet down the winding passages of the citadel. It was much bigger than he realized. He was about to advance a little further when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder. He spun quickly on to hear a loud _zapp_ and suddenly lose consciousness.

Bib tuned quickly at the sound of a stun blast. He saw the yellow haired human pitch sideways and hit the ground. Behind him stood Durge, the massive Gen'Dai warrior, clad fully in battle armor held the smoking gun at his hip before holstering it with a flourish. Bib was surprised. The kid was following him, and apparently did a very good job of not being seen. He groaned in annoyance. This meant he wouldn't be able to witness the torture. "A pity…" He muttered to himself as he approached the boy. Durge of course thought he was talking about the blond.

"Bring him to the throne room." He said in annoyance. He could already hear the girl's pathetic screams in his head. Durge picked the boy up without complaint and slung him over his shoulder roughly. Bib lagged behind a bit, sending a textual message on his data-pad to a subordinate, ordering him to record the show. However, he was the first in the throne room. Durge flung the boy to the ground none-too gently. Jabba widened an eye curiously. "I found this brat wandering the halls… where he's not supposed to." Durge began.

Jabba groaned In surprise, previously eyeing the body uninterestingly.

"Permission to dispose of him personally." Durge said drawing a serrated blade.

Jabba gestured at them. "If you wish then. Make good sport of him." He said in Huttese. Durge picked the blond up and drop-punched him into a nearby pillar. Naruto cried out in pain as he hit the ground. He attempted to get up but failed. He just hit the ground again. His head was pounding.

'_Damn it fox, help me out!'_ A burst of heat flooded his body for a few seconds before disappearing. His head cleared instantly, and he stood up. Now that he could see clearly, he was much more intimidated by this foe. He had a serrated knife in his right hand, and Naruto knew from the way he stood, he was a professional. Naruto sighed. He didn't dare use his sword in such small confines. Maybe if he could kill this guy he would impress the slug and, however much he didn't want to even look at it, see if it could help him find his mystery person.

It was a long shot with little chance f success, but the voice in his head was so sad and so depressing, he didn't feel like he could waste any opportunities.

Reaching into his back pocket he pulled out his own knife. "Bring it on bitch." He doubted he understood him, but the intent was clear. Durge charged. Naruto was quick to dodge the lethal strikes, and with a summersault dove between his legs. Sure the guy had strength, but he didn't have speed. He turned with a smirk, expecting to see the brute's undefended back. What he saw instead was his fist. A loud crack was heard and Naruto went flying into another pillar, this time creating a spider web of cracks to appear. Blood trickled down his chin.

Naruto threw the kunai and charged. Durge blocked it easily, barely raising an arm. Naruto threw a straight punch and Durge caught it, however, not expecting the force behind the punch. He caught it nonetheless. With a twist, he threw the blond over his shoulder and onto the ground. "Gugh!" More blood spurted from his mouth. He was quick to try and get up.

A crushing knee to the chest prevented that though. Durge held the blade to Naruto's undefended throat. _'Oh come on! I can't even touch this guy!'_ Using his left hand, he held the wrist of the hand with the knife. The other hand he drew back for a punch. Durge scoffed audibly. He was unprepared for the punch to go straight to his faceplate, knocking him back with a grunt. Naruto Leapt up and aggressed. Spinning around Durge's powerful counter-punches, he nailed him repeatedly with crippling kicks and palm strikes. Durge reeled back and aimed a fist at the boy, firing a wrist rocket at him. Naruto's eyes widened. The small projectile tracked his head, which he threw back in an attempt to dodge it. He did, but it tried to follow, but overshot, nailing the floor and blowing a huge chuck out of it. Naruto looked at the crater with wide eyes. Pulling himself back up, he reached back into his pack and pulled out a smoke bomb. With a light toss, the small sphere bounced off the beast's armor and exploded. The room was filled with panic as everyone scrambled to blow the smoke away, only succeeding in spreading it.

Durge felt a slap on his back and he threw his arm in that direction, smashing into an unseen pillar. Another slap on his shoulder; another swing. Once more on his thigh. His downward smash crumbled the floor. A sudden gust of wind sucked the smoke away. It looked like the ventilators were finally working.

His sharp eyes spotted the blond, calmly twirling the knife he'd thrown earlier around a finger. "Don't move, or your dead." He pointed at the Gen'Dai. Durge looked down. On his thigh, where he'd been slapped was a small piece of paper with an intricate set of symbols on it. He didn't know what the kid said, but apparently it had something to do with these. He was obviously wary. He'd lived for thousands of years; deadly paper was not surprising to him.

But neither was it dangerous. He ignored the boy and charged. Naruto sighed. "Your funeral." The papers promptly exploded, creating a rather large dust cloud that the vents greedily sucked up. Naruto turned to the slug in an attempt to speak when he was blindsided by the still charging Durge _'He's still standing?'_ He was slammed into the wall, Durge's full weight crushing him into the ancient permacrete. Naruto suddenly found his lungs starved of oxygen and his ribs cracking under the pressure.

"Ga…ugh!…" He barely choked out. Durge pulled himself off of the wall, wrapping his arms around the boy, crushing him with all his might. Several audible cracks were heard and Naruto tried to cry out in pain. All that came out were gargled whispers. His eyes rolled back in his head and his head fell back, limp. Durge spotted this and released his hold, letting the boy drop to the floor like a ragdoll. The room's whoops and hollers drowned out the sound of Durge tsk-ing in disappointment. He looked down to inspect himself and found that there were a trio of scorch marks on his armor. If those paper bombs were more powerful, then they might have crippled him momentarily. Unfortunately, they weren't powerful enough.

His eyes lingered on himself for a moment before sound and movement brought them back to the body as it suddenly convulsed. Coughing, hacking, and gasping for air, Naruto slowly came back to the world of the living. Blood pooled in his mouth as his internals began to bleed. A merciless kick to the gut sent him crashing back into the wall he was just rammed into just a moment ago, sending a rain of rubble and dust down on his bleeding form.

Durge was about to continue when the room abruptly quieted as a Bib Fortuna strode into the room, a duo of guards behind him. _'When did he leave?'_ Durge mused. He must have missed him during the fight.

"My lord Jabba. I humbly request your permission to have this girl executed!"

Durge turned to see the two guards actually had a struggling figure between them. Her pale skin accentuating her bluish hair. She had a gag in her mouth so her screams were muffled. There were, dozens of scars running along her body. Scabs and calluses marred her otherwise perfect skin. Cuts and bruises were visible on her more private areas,including her breasts, ass and upper-inner thighs. Even so, her battered form looked pleasing to him. Her hands were bound behind her head, chains linking her wrists to a metal bar. She wore… well maybe it would be better to describe what se didn't wear.

All she had was a thin strip of cloth covering her nipples horizontally, around an inch or two wide. A thinner than usual g-string shielded her nether regions from view, though her rear was clearly visible. She was thrown to the floor and you could see that her bare feet held burn and scorch marks and one eye was black. It was amazing to Durge how much she looked like she'd gone through a meat shredder and yet still retained some amount of beauty.

He loved beauty.

Especially when it was covered in the color red; his fingers itched around his combat knife.

"Why do you want her dead so badly?" The great Hutt asked. Bib looked absolutely furious. He was well passed the last straw.

"She's destroyed Eve and killed one of your men!" he yelled, but not quite so loud as to make his royal Huttness angered at _him._ Jabba flailed his arms in rage, slapping one of his guards in the face by accident.

"I thought you said you would break her!" He raged, pointing a stubby finger at Fortuna.

Bib bowed on one knee in apology. "Forgive me your greatness, but she is unmanageable! I've done everything I can." EVE-9D9 was an irreplaceable member of Jabba's court, and he was visibly upset at losing her.

"Now that I've lost Eve, someone is going to have to pay for it!" As if on cue, the two guards threw her to the ground in the center of the room. She landed on her knees, the sharp edges of the grating beneath her cutting into them. She whimpered in pain and fell forward, landing on her side. Tears streamed from her clenched eyes as she curled up into a small ball. She knew she was going to be punished.

"My pets are hungry today… I've been neglecting to feed them lately. I suppose it's about time they had a little snack." Jabba said delightfully. With a press of a button, the collars of three Combat Arachnids unlatched and they leapt down to the chamber floor. They growled viciously, their razor sharp teeth dripping with saliva. Their sharp pointed legs and spiked backs were wide and raised, their primal urges to feed overwhelming them. The beings in the room all shouted and cheered, using whatever sharp object they had to prod the creatures to attack the defenseless girl.

Another press of a button released the chains from her hands. The gag dropped from her mouth. She only curled up more. She knew wll enough that they only wanted to hear her scream. She took mild comfort though, in the fact that while it would be extremely painful, it would al be over soon.

The Arachnids realized they obviously weren't going to get any food from those creatures with sharp teeth, but when they turned around they saw a live, non-sharp toothed creature, they growled hungrily. Two of them circled her, letting our whoops of excitement. The third one prowled up to the girls face and sniffed. This creature smelled delicious! A drop of saliva fell from its mouth. The girl opened her eyes and saw the sharp fangs of the massive spider obstructing her vision. Her eyes widened greatly.

The creature roared and lunged forward.

Her scream pierced the cries for blood like lightning pierces the night.

The arachnid leaped onto her, its teeth shredding the flesh of her left arm as it shook it about trying to rip it off. Pain tore through her body like never before.

The other two attacked as well, one burying its teeth deep into her side, the sweet aroma of blood and flesh filling their nostrils. The final spider scratched and slashed at her exposed back as she was pulled onto her side, leaving criticaly deep gashes into it. Blood flew everywhere as they fed. Her high pitched squeal made them recoil for an moment, but they went right back to it. It was obviouse this creature wasn't dead yet, and they needed to fix that.

The roaring around her chilled her in a fear she had never before experienced.

Suffering…

Pain…

Humiliation…

Brutality…

Cruelty…

Apathy…

Agony…

Torture…

Insanity…

It was filling her with insanity. She couldn't take any more. It was killing her. It was almost too much. She was suffering. They gave her pain. She was taught humiliation, every second she was in their presence.

They showered her in brutality. They treated her cruelly. Not like they cared. And that made it all the more agonizing. It was insane. All of it. How much longer would she have to endure all of it. How much longer _could_ she endure it?

Too much… It was too much. She'd had enough. But they hadn't. They wanted more. More pain, more screams, more pleads for cessation, more crying out in fear and depression. It only excited them more.

She was giving up. The will to live eluded her. She was fading. And it made her sad. She would die amidst all of _this._ And no one would care. No one would know. This world was horrible. She was nothing in their eyes. They were all strangers… creatures… monsters. It was the end for her.

Their master had returned, and it was Hell for her again.

She'd sworn… she'd promised herself. She would die before he so much as looked at her again. And here she was, dying.

For her… It. Was. Over.

She opened her eyes one last time to see the arachnid at her back now flying for her throat. She closed her eyes and cried out. There was a roar, an impact, and then she felt nothing.

**

* * *

**

**Location: Tatooine, Western Dune Sea, Jabba's palace.  
Time: A few moments ago**

Her scream pierced the cries for blood like lightning pierces the night. And it did. It pierced _his_ night; his darkness of unconsciousness. His eyes opened from where he'd been forgotten. His heart went cold. At first he doubted himself. He prayed he was still asleep… that this was just a dream. But this was no dream. That girl, that _friend_ of his… Hyuuga Hinata... was now nothing more than food for the predators. His eyes went wide. His body stopped moving. Fear and despair threaded itself around his arms and legs, keeping him from doing anything but watch. _'Wha-… Wha…? What… what am I supposed to do?'_

He watched as the ravenous spiders tore at her perfect flesh. _'What can I do…? I…'_ Dirge was standing back, watching the orgy of destruction. Blood flew in all directions, hunks of flesh were torn off at a time, and organs spilling out onto the ground and dripping through the grating below. Even as such large portions of her body were being devoured, Naruto could only stare as his body refused to move. _'I can't do anything!'_

The arachnid that was chewing on her back tore another strip of tender skin from her body, eliciting a scream from its prey. It took a step back to wolf it down, and soon returned for more. This time, its keen eyes spotted the pulsing vein of her neck. _That _looked rather tasty. Lowing itself to the ground, it jumped forward, its fangs bared on her neck.

_'NO!' _Time stopped.

He blinked.

He wasn't in the citadel. The water lapping at his feet was unnatural; the golden light illuminating the walls and ground arund him was different. The darkness of the cage in front of him was impenetrable. A single slit eye opened. It narrowed in amusement. **"Again? And so soon too. You only ever come here if you want power, don't you?"** Naruto's eyes widened even more. His body rose from the watery floor. He wasn't doing it though; His mind was still in shock from seeing one of his precious people devoured.

The Kyuubi laughed deeply in his cage, the deep voice rattling the cage of the seal.** "So? How about it?"** Read bubbles began to leak out of the darkness, forming a massive circle that surrounded his vessel. The golden light was swallowed by the crimson luminosity. An image of the Kyuubi, head low by his front claws, crouched and teeth ready to grind.

**"****So… Who do you want to destroy?"** The grin threatened to split his face. Naruto suddenly felt his body move, this time on his own volition. He could feel the anger rise within him; that wanton destruction that lied just benieth the surface. He stood straight from his slouch, his eyes now narrowed at the demon. "…Everyone…"

**"****What was that?"** The Kyuubi asked, noticeably reveling in his host's submission.

"Destroy… Everyone…" Naruto reached his hand out gripped the solidity of the Kyuubi's chakra. His teeth were bared showing how serious he was right then."…But don't touch her!"

With a shout, he pulled, ripping the chakra from the Kyuubi and wrapping it around himself.

The energy twisted around him, blinding him in that glorious crimson hue. He let it permeate every part of him as it coursed through his veins.

In an instant, he was back in the citadel, and everything was as he'd left it. Droplets of blood still hung in the air, only serving to . Time began to move again, ever so slowly. The spider almost had its fangs inside her. Naruto's eyes narrowed and his teeth were clenched. Testing his arms quickly, he felt he muscles respond correctly. With a primeval howl, he shoved himself off the ground, flying through the air.

The spider didn't have a clue what hit it. A primal roar echoed through the room and it was flung off its prey and into the wall. The other two halted their glutinous feeding to look at the new threat. But when they looked up, not six inches from their hiddious faces were the bared fangs of another human, or so they thought. Another roar blew them back as well, the sheer force of the sound creating a shockwave. The third, sensing the threat this human posed, lunged at him, only to have its entire head grasped in a single hand. The human's claws dug deeply into the skull of the eight legged monster.6

The boy's growl was deep and his scowl intensifying by the second.

With a satisfying crunch, his hand crushed the creature's head, breaking enamel, bone and teeth, effectively reducing the skeleton of the arachnid to a tender pulp. The other two spiders got back up and quickly lunged at him, not knowing any better. With a vicious growl, Naruto slashed at one, ripping through the sharp spines on its back with ease and throwing it away in a single move. The other one he caught with both hands right after. With a roar, Naruto ripped it in half, the legs twitching out that last precious second of its life away.

Throwing its halves away, he bent over on all fours, keeping Hinata directly underneath him. In this position, he looked like a predatory animal defending its mate... Or its prey.

His crimson eyes glared at everyone for a moment before looking down. The girl's body had already been torn to shreds. _'Please don't be late, please don't be late...!' _He pleaded with any deity out there.

He bent down lower. Even the air he was breathing smelled like lost hope; like death. He could tell she wasn't breathing, and her eyes were shut. She wasn't moving.

'_No…'_ His eyes simply stared at the lifeless body. _'She can't… really be…'_ The chunks of her body that were missing showed internal organs, numerous slashed muscles, and pooling blood that was quickly overflowing and spilling out. Even the visible bones of her ribs, left arm, and mid/upper vertibrae were scratched and indented in some places.

He was dimly aware of a large figure behind him. A heavy foot smashed down onto his back, driving him even lower into his crouch. He didn't feel it; he didn't feel _anything_. His eyes stared blankly at his disfigured friend, refusing to beieve she could actualy be dead; that he was too late to do anything. But there it was, the proof directly in front of him. He could feel tears begin to form in his eyes, which he promptly shut. He roared in anger and shot up, knocking Durge backward. He continued to roar in pain and sadness, a red aura seeping from the pores of his skin.

"No! She can't be dead! _She can't!_" Naruto wailed in his mind. The fox watched him closely from behind closed gates. **"Maybe she is, maybe she's not. What will you do about it? What **_**can **_**you**** do about it?" **The fox challenged.

Naruto suddenly felt a chill run up his spine. _He_ couldn't do anything. But apparently the fox thought _he_ could. "Are you saying… you can save her?" Naruto hesitantly asked in disbelief. He had always been under the impression that the fox's chakra hurt everyone but himself.

**"****Who knows? Why don't we find out… together?"** The Kyuubi's grin stood out in the darkness. Naruto grit his teeth. He didn't want to let the Kyuubi out. Even if they had a somewhat cordial relationship, that didn't mean the fox would obey Naruto's every whim and parameter. With the Kyuubi let loose, the damage would be catastrophic. Not like he cared for anyone else here, but he could possibly hurt Hinata, if she was even alive. But if the fox could somehow save her…

Naruto's tongue bled from his biting it. He knew had no choice. If he wanted to save her, and get out alive, he had to take this chance. "Fine! I don't care! _Just fucking save her!_" He cried out, dreading what he'd just said, and what was now going to happen.

**"****Wise choice." **Chakra surged forward like a wave, utterly consuming Naruto.

Naruto's crimson eyes turned ruby. His growling face turned up in a vicious smile. His cheeks bore their whisker tattoos well, darkening and spreading. His vest ripped open, and blew around, revealing the "lightly armed boy" to be far more than that. His entire torso was littered with knives, and a blaster pistol was hooked to his side. A unique tattoo on the boys stomach was also visible, and Durge could have sworn he'd seen the tattoo move.

Naruto bent down low, and with a final roar, howled into the room, a gust of wind blowing the others back. By now, several had decided to open fire on him. Their blaster bolts hit him, but the singed skin healed itself instantly; the pain mere pinpricks to the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. The red energy swirling around converged on his belly, directly over top his tattoo. Then with a growl the energy blasted downward, completely enveloping the girl beneath him.

Durge stood again, aiming a blaster at the boy's head. Durge had met many species, but aside from his own, there were few that could heal from any injury. Especially an injury to the head. A single shot rang out. The blot zinged toward Naruto's head. It only brought a smirk to his face. With an inhuman twist of his neck, he grabbed the hilt of his katana with his teeth and drew it out a few inches, the polished metal deflecting the bolt.

Naruto's eyes narrowed in amusement. Letting go of the blade with his teeth, he grabbed it with his left hand aimed it at the Gen'Dai warrior. There was a flash of light, and Durge recoiled. Then he felt pain. Looking down there was a whole right where his heart would have been if he'd had one. Several more flashes and several more armor piercing bullets of wind shattered even more holes in his armor.

**"****You're in the way!"** The voice came out deep and raspy.

And it came out in clear basic.

Durge's eyes widened when the boy spun and shot a fist toward him. A shockwave tore through the space between them knocking him back. By the time he recovered, another wave of air smashed him in the gut, sending him into the wall opposite of Jabba. Naruto stood, leg extended, a grin on his face, red energy still coursing from the tattoo and completely covering the girl. A quick twist of his hips sent a fierce wave of air into the evil crowd around him, sending them flying back into the walls, tables, and each other. Landing with expert grace and power, he straightened slowly.

A quick looked backward made him smile though.** "It's almost time."** Though no one else could see it, his eyes easily pierced the shroud of his own energy surroundng the girls body. Flesh was regenerated, organs were regrown, and bone repaired. The combined personalities of the Kyuubi and Naruto were relieved, more from Naruto's side fanyway. It was scary, honestly, how her body was repaired, and the speed at which it did so. But they weren't finished yet.

**"****So then, who wants to die next?"** The crowd backed up, trying to avoid his stare, while brandishing whatever melee weapon they had avfailable; by this time they'd given up on blasting him. **"Maybe… you."** He pointed a finger at Fortuna. Bib, who'd been standing dumbstruck the entire fight, now snapped out of it just in time to try and run. Kyuuto (the name of the combined halves of the Kyuubi and Naruto) chased after him, quickly reaching optimal range. With a shout, he jumped up and turned horizontal in the air, nailing him with both feet to the chest. _**'Not yet.'**_ A pulse of concentrated wind at his feet sent to majordomo smashing into the wall.

One down. **"One to go."** His eyes narrowed on Jabba. Kyuuto wasn't going to wait on anything to gut the slug and boil him in a roasting cauldron. He was about to attack when a groan captured his attention. Behind him, protected in the shield of chakra, Hinata stirred. The chakra swirling from his gut receded, uncovering a no-longer-badly-mauled Hinata. Kyuuto quickly bent down to examine her. She appeared to be in perfect physical health, if not mental. That much his sharp eyes could tell.

Whatever bits of clothing she'd had were gone now, chewed up and destroyed by the arachnids. All of her smooth, and now unmarred skin was exposed to the humid air. Kyuuto smiled at his own handiwork. Not a single trace of the scars he'd seen earlier remained; repaired by the Kyuubi's healing abilities. Kyuuto was quick to remove his jacket and drape it over her naked form. **"I did my part. Now do yours."** With that the Kyuubi left his mind, leaving only Naruto, who, now back to his normal self, and without the Kyuubi's emotional restraint, growled lowly.

But his anger wasn't to last as he felt gravity take him down. his sight pin wheeled as he rolled down a narrow stone chute, finally depositing him in a dungeon type area. He landed on his feet just in time to catch Hinata as she slid out as well. By now, she was partially awake, and quite surprised to find herself in what she thought were Naruto's arms.

"N-n-n-naru-to…?" Her vision cleared and the fuzziness that she had thought was Naruto cleared to reveal the truth.

It _was_ Naruto.

Her eyes were wide. It wasn't _possible_...

Her fragile mind couldn't accept the possibility that he actually _was_ there. How did he find her? Why was he here? "N-n-naruto…! What are you doing here? How did you-?" His warm smile, cut her off mid-question. Two small silver streams of fluid fell from his eyes. Though she couldn't have guessed why, it was because every move she made, only confirmed that she was alive. "Hinata, it really _was_ you. I thought it was, but I couldn't believe it... I'm-" He swallowed, tears now flowing freely. "I'm so happy you're alright!"

Hinata's pale eyes watered as she heard Naruto's concern. "Naruto-kun!" She buried her head into Naruto's chest as she sobbed in happiness, relief, and disbelief. Finally… at long last, her cries for help had been heard, and not only that, but it came in the form of Uzumaki Naruto, the love of her life. For so long she had wished he was here, to protect her, to rescue her, but she realized long ago it was only a fantasy. No longer so. Here he was, standing before her, holding her tightly to him, standing ready to protect her.

A chorus of whoops and hollers from above attracted Naruto's attention. Hinata heard it but it barely registered. A loud grating sound alerted them to the massive metal door in front of them. "Now what?" Naruto grumbled as he stood ready.

Hinata, shaken from her relieved emotions, now felt them replaced with a cold fear. "N-no…!" Her eyes were wide and she'd frozen. Naruto looked at her curiously, but when she made no other sound and continued to stare, he looked back at the now fully open door. His eyes widened. A massive creature, unlike any he'd ever seen before roared loudly, clawing its sharp talons against the stone wall. Its mouth had numerous teeth, and a tough hide protected it from harm. it seemed almost a mix between a spider, a monkey, and a reptile. Spittle dripped from its mouth in large globs.

"W-what the Hell-?" A bellow from the beast cut him off. More spittle flew from its mouth, and as it spied them, increased copiously. He felt Hinata go rigid in his arms, and he saw how scared she was. And that made him mad. Hadn't she been scared enough already? His eyes narrowed. "R-r-ran…cor…" She was able to mutter out. Several beads of cold sweat dripped from her face and body, hitting the sandy floor with little *plips*.

Naruto could literally feel her fear as if it were a gust of wind. He ground his teeth. Of all this torture she'd been through, even with him standing here, ready to protect her, she was still terrified. What had these devils done to her to make the once brave and courageous Hinata tremble in fear in such a way as she was doing now? Every time he was with Hinata, he never once saw her back down, even in the face of certain death.

To have reduced her to such a state... It was... _Unforgivable._

In that moment, Naruto made a resolution. He would be her hero now. He would be the only one she relied on. He would make it so she would never have to fear anything or anyone anymore.

He looked up to see the jeering crowd and snarled. Supporting Hinata with his left hand, he let go with his right hand and pumped his fist into the air. A burst of wind shot up and hit the hilt of his blade, which sat dejected on the grating above him. The hilt rose up until the blade was almost vertical and slipped through the grating. Catching it upside down in his right hand, he was just in time to slash at the "Rancor" (he deduced that was what it was called). A line of blood dripped from its fingers and it recoiled a bit, its roar echoing through the cave..

"Naruto, run!" He was surprised to hear Hinata speak up so loud and forcefully. "You can't win! You'll be killed!" Naruto stood shocked. Even when it was her own life that was also in peril, she worried only about him. However, Naruto only smirked. "…Are you scarred?" he asked quite innocently.

She started at him. Wasn't _he_ scarred? "You don't have to be. I'm here, and I'm not going to let you have a reason to be scared anymore." He flipped his katana right side up and stood ready as the Rancor approached again. "If no one else will protect you, I will. Because for you, I will be…" He channeled chakra into his right side. With a shout, he swung his blade upward, sending the refined wind chakra out in a vertical wave. "…your hero!" He finished with a smile.

The wave smashed into the Rancor just as it was about to swipe at them again. The poor thing didn't even know what hit it. It groaned out in pain as it split in half, blood and organs spilling out briefly before falling back into the shadows of its den. Hinata stood half-stunned; had Naruto always been this powerful?

She hesitantly looked back to Naruto, dimly aware the shouting above had stopped. He looked back to her as well with a smile that split his face and forced his eyes closed; his smile, and it warmed her heart to see it again. "How's that?" He asked happily. Hinata smiled as well; this was the Naruto she knew. The Naruto she adored and admired. His happy smile brought a heat to her body, replacing the cold fear that had been there only moments before. But he didn't need to try and become her hero, not really.

"You already are, Naruto-kun." She said, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks. Sheathing his blade, Naruto picked her up bridal style, making sure to hold her close to him. She pressed her head and hands against his bare abs and chest, wanting to be as close to him as possible. It was also for stability, making sure she didn't slip from his grip. Naruto looked around for an exit, and found one in the form of a small side door that opened, revealing a group of four guards. With a swinging kick, all four of them are blown back into the stone wall, concussions no long

Several cries of "Jedi" were heard from above, though Neither Naruto or Hinata knew what they meant. Neither of them even knew what they were saying. Naruto vaguely remembered the Kyuubi speaking in their language, and he'd have to ask him about it later. Still holding Hinata, Naruto walked calmly out the side door where more guards were rushing down to them. Several kicks later, they were unconscious on the floor and they were through the door, into the hallways, and running. Well, Naruto was running; Hinata was tensed up in his arms, pressing herself into his body as much as possible.

Hinata could only wonder at the blond. Naruto's **Kaze no Jutsu** really was powerful; she'd heard others talk about it before in with awed expressions, but she'd never seen it firsthand. Now that she did, she could see why they were so amazed. The ripples of wind that flowed round her, formed directly from Naruto's chakra felt warm and comforting, as the wind caressed every part of her, like a lover might. That thought brought a gentle blush to her face. An explosion of dust blasted towards them and both of them were blinded by it. When it cleared, Durge stood there, ready to fight. Naruto snorted at him, no longer afraid. A single back kick broke through the wall behind them, and Naruto dashed through it, Durge chasing after them.

Wall after wall was broken down, Naruto using the brute force of his Kaze no Jutsu quite effectively. With a sudden jump Naruto used a particularly powerful blast of wind to break down several walls at once but ducked to the side, not entering through them. He waited with Hinata of to the side and around the corner as he heard Durge's massive bulk run past. A few anxious moments of silence passed before they both loosed a sigh of relief as Naruto carried Hinata as far away from the center of the building as possible. When Naruto was sure he was far enough away, he used one more blast to break through the permacrete wall and hit the steel exterior of the massive structure. He drew his sword, dropping Hinata's feet for a moment and made four quick slashes. A square section of the wall fell forward, landing at their feet. Beyond it, the clear blue sky of Tatooine stood, stalwart and calm. Naruto smiled and sheathed his blade, picking the rest of Hinata and walking to the opening.

A light jump after and they were outside. It was a long way down, and since Naruto didn't want to jostle Hinata around so soon after her near death and recovery, he opted to slide down the side, using the friction to slow himself as he reached the bottom. He landed with a small thump, and he looked over to Hinata to make sure she was alright. She was; she was looking directly at him a smile on her face, and a slightly awestruck expression. In fact, Naruto could almost say it was the same as a long time fan finally meeting the person they idolized. He wasn't too far from the truth, actually.

For Hinata, it was _exactly_ that. True, she'd seen Naruto on many occasions when missions would require more than one team, or just in passing moments on the street, and many times she'd looked at him, similar to how she was now. This time though, it was multiplied a hundred fold. She'd always associated every aspect related to "good" with Naruto, because that's all she ever saw. But now, she'd experienced his faithfulness in person, and his power. He was everything she'd ever dreamed of. It was, in fact, a dream come true for her. She settled into his arms, unaware she was even doing so.

Naruto began gently walking away from the building, not even looking back.

His smile though was more mischievous then it had been a moment ago. Hinata, while curious, didn't want to ruin this silent moment, but in the end, her curiosity won out and she hesitantly asked him with an innocent voice, "What's so funny Naruto-kun?"

He gave her one of his fox-faced smiles and chuckled. She was about to ask again when there was a resounding boom from behind them. She looked over his shoulder to see a massive explosion detonate across the side of the monastery with several other muffled booms sounding from the inside.

"Ahh, nothing to worry about Hinata." He said innocently, as if he wasn't the one who had planted a series of paper bombs on the way out.

The shockwave from the blasts hit them from behind, warming her skin, the wind flowing around Naruto and over her. Her eyes went wide as she felt the air pass over parts of her body that it shouldn't have been touching. She looked down to see Naruto's sweater-jacket laid loosely over her chest and that below that, her tender pale skin was exposed for the world to see. Her face turned a deep red, and Naruto's knowing chuckle didn't help either.

"Don't worry Hinata, I didn't look." He said with a smile. How she hadn't noticed Naruto's hands on her bare skin earlier she didn't know, but now that she realized it, she could definitely feel his left hand across her back and gripping her side, right below her breasts. His other hand was holding her up by her thighs, right above her knees. _'Na…Naruto's hands are… So close to me… They're touching my skin... they're…'_

Her face went even redder the more she thought about it. She could feel Naruto's bare chest on her bare side, and it felt… _'Wonderful… But soo embarrassing!'_

But as she looked at Naruto, he kept his eyes forward, unless he was looking at her eyes, and his cheeks help only the slightest pink. She didn't know how much blood he was manually redirecting around his body to he didn't seem like a pervert. Sending the blood from your cheeks and dick back into your arms and legs isn't an easy thing to do, even for him. But he wouldn't disrespect Hinata by looking when she was so obviously embarrassed by it. He had far too much honor for that, natural curiosity and hormones be damned.

The Kyuubi taunting him in the background didn't help either. Naruto had long since deciphered out Hinata's feelings for him. Combining the words he'd heard in his dreams with what he already knew about Hinata, it made perfect sense. But even so, he wouldn't rush her in a relationship. He would express his full love to her when she was ready for it. Until then, he would be her knight in shining armor, just as he promised. He would love her as much as possible, and as much as she allowed.

However, Hinata's embarrassment was not so easily overcome as Naruto's, and only by trying to change the subject was she able to distract herself, slightly. "N-Naruto-kun, where are we going to go n-now?"

He looked at her with a playful smirk. "Well, I lifted this off one of the guys we ran into…" He stooped and set her down on the sand, her uncovered bum rubbing against the hot, course sand. She winced slightly, and she was instantly picked up again. "Oh sorry. Stupid me, of course the sand would be hot."

Hinata shook her head. "I-Its fine, Naruto-k-kun."

Naruto smiled awkwardly at her before continuing. "Anyway, I got this off one of one of those bastards." Naruto dropped a map onto her stomach from where he'd put it in his mouth to pick her up. She picked it up and looked at it. The markings were foreign to her, but the icon on it that had the distinctive shape of the monastery they had just broken out of was undeniable. With that in mind the closest town to that appeared to be about a half a day to a day's journey.

She looked up at the sky, seeing the two suns. It was the second time she'd seen them. Naruto looked up as well and smiled. "Two suns to warm two people. I think it's perfect!" Naruto said suddenly. Hinata looked up at him, his eyes closed in a grin. She smiled as well and looked back down. She swallowed nervously. "I-I think I'm h-happy with j-just N-n-naruto-kun…" She stuttered out in a whisper. Naruto looked at her curiously for a moment before blushing himself. But he smiled nonetheless. It was a start.

"S-so… which way is the nearest down?" he asked still slightly embarrassed/flattered. Hinata looked at the map and pointed out toward the dunes. "That way, I think."

Naruto nodded his head and griped her tighter, surprising her. "Hang on tight, Hinata!" He said with a laugh as he channeled his chakra into his feet and shot off into the desert, using the wind beneath his feet to sand-skate his way across the desert. The wind whipped at Hinata as he carried her like a newlywed, though this concept eluded him, Hinata caught it perfectly. But she enjoyed the wind brushing her soft flesh. She hesitantly leaned into Naruto's body.

The warm air invaded every crevice of her body, save her chest which was covered by his jacket, but even so, air would occasionally creep underneath an caress her body in a way she had never experienced before. She realized that this was the wind that Naruto made. By simply moving forward, the wind he made stunned her with emotions and feelings she'd never experienced. That was when she decided , never to change it, that she would only ever want to feel Naruto's wind. No one else would _ever_ do for her. Naruto was the only one for her in this, or any universe.

For her… It was just beginning.

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**A/N: Well thats chapter five. Like I said, not much to say I guess. I think it could have gone better. I had wanted to have the two start building up their relationship remotely, with Naruto communicating through dreams, but I felt that would detract from the Star Wars portion of it. Btw, I'm am undecided whether Hinata should have lost her virginity during her time in Jabba's palace or not. Part of me wants to, but the other part wants me to have had her fight to keep it. Or perhaps a mix of both? So for the moment its whatever you want. It will probably be resolved in the next chapter.**

**Anyway, review with your best ^_^**

**(Long reviews are loved very much!)**

**PS. If any of you are interested in making Fan Art for any of my stories, don't hesitate to ask, I'd realy appreciate it. If your interested, please tell me.**


	6. Chapter 6: Delete

**A/N: Well now, what do we have here? A chapter that's actualy one schedual? WOOOOWWW... when does that happen? Oh well, i'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth. I oddly enough didn't get a whole lot of responses to my question at the end of the last chapter as to whether Hinata should be ruined or not. Some of you assumed she was, though I hinted she might not have been. Since only one reviewer gave his opinion on the matter ****(**Ryuujin96**), I'll have to abide by his opinion (Though my originial plan was for it to have it this way anyway). Anyway, this one was kind of fun to do. Like I said early on, I'm not going to have Naruto and Hinata's relationship start out wth an explosion like it did in **Souls and Swords**. Btw if you were wondering, Naruto's past will be slightly different then canon (I think they call that AU, but its not completely different) so if there are some things your thinking "That didn't happen" you now know the reasion. **

**Anyway, onto the acknowledgements! This time I'll be including reviews for chapter four too since they were released at the same time. Yay! So ty to **zentary(2), Fury074, Kage Bijuu (2), too lazy to loginsimply Eric (2), hellzanetruesdale, XllShadowMasterllX, Dude4515, Thoketan-XER298-RedRover, prudiisten, Reneden **(A corp member of mine in EVE :P Say hi everyone!)**, **and** Ryuujin96 **as stated above. Thank you guys for your supporting and sometimes critical reviews. They help me much more than you realize.**

**And now, ONTO THE CHAPTER!**

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**Chapter 6: Delete**

Hinata awoke slowly to the pale sky of the early morning. She let her eyes blink away the fuzziness as she slowly began to gather her wits. She glanced around her, seeing nothing more than sand, sand, and more sand.

And sky.

A groan from behind her drew her attention. She rolled over and saw her sleeping hero not half a dozen feet from her. They were both half naked, her from the waist down, and him from the waist up. Naruto had managed to form a type of blanket for her from the tattered robes of those raiders he had killed a few days earlier. She'd taken it with thanks, and while a tad coarse, it had allowed her to sleep moderately well, shielding her from the cold winds that whipped by them during the night, and from Naruto's eyes. While she trusted him not to look, it didn't help that it _was_ her lifelong love that was sleeping next to her, and the idea of him even glancing at her in her sleep was just too embarrassing to handle.

When sitting upright or being carried in his arms, she was able to, barely, cover up both her chest and her secret place with Naruto's vest. It was of little comfort t her though, how loose it was and that she needed to hold it to her. She felt far too naked to relax well at all. However, Naruto's sand-surfing abilities, and the sensation it brought to her, were able to distract her enough for her to remain conscious the entire ride.

It all seemed like a dream to her though, and the terrible pains she had suffered not even a full day ago seemed so far gone; just being near Naruto was healing, she could tell that much. It was as if the very air he breathed was an ocean of holy water, removing any affliction it touched. But it didn't remove the scars. Not the mental ones.

She frowned then, now remembering the images that were seared into her brain. The pain… the _torture_ she'd endured had almost been too much for her, and she'd nearly given up on living. She'd known full well that killing those men and destroying that machine would lead to her execution. She'd bet on it in fact; any place other than there was a good place, whether it be Heaven or Hell. Though it seemed selfish, her only prayer was that wherever she went, Naruto would be in the same place.

But when Naruto had suddenly appeared and became her savior, she felt that light of hope be rekindled in her heart. Her thoughts of forced suicide were instantly replaced with astonishment that she could even think such things, her heart now speaking to her of how Naruto would always be there to protect her in her hour of need, for indeed, that seemed to be the case.

Simply describing the feelings that warred within her was a feat of God. But while her happiness was now renewed, the negative emotions stemming from her toils in that Hell-hole were almost equally as powerful. With Naruto's proclamation of personal guardianship over Hinata, she had considered it a good time to reveal her own feelings to him directly, and to be honest, if it had been any other time, she might have done just that.

But her usual fantasies of Naruto and her together, and their eventual physical relationship were replaced by the cold hands of those monsters. Even thinking about it made her shiver in disgust. The memories of their filthy hands caressing her… Their twisted desires explained to her in graphic detail even as they moved to subdue her… She shifted her legs together and curled into herself; the phantom touches of her abusers tracing the edges of her thighs and torso. A light whimper left her lips as she tried, in vain to escape their groping appendages…

"Hinata! What's wrong?" Her eyes opened in an instant. Her breaths came out in short gasps, her skin damp from sweating, and cold from the chill air. Even as she tried to understand what just happened, she felt a pressure on her arm. She turned her head to see Naruto, his hand gently, but firmly wrapped around her left bicep. _'I… I must have fallen asleep again…'_ She slowly rolled over in Naruto's direction.

His face was one of pure concern. She looked at him, suddenly exhausted. It was amazing how much energy that dream drained from her. Naruto's eyes showed intense worry, and she felt ashamed to have caused him such stress. There was a brief moment of silence before Naruto reached out and gently rubbed his thumb over her cheek, coming back glistening in the early morning light. Hinata looked at him curiously and realized that he'd just wiped away a tear; she was crying.

"Are you ok, Hinata? Was it a bad dream?" He questioned carefully. She rolled over, putting her back to him, remaining silent for a second before responding with a mumbled "yeah." Naruto was silent. He knew what it was probably about.

He wouldn't let her know it, as it might make her even more uncomfortable than she already was (and Lord knows she didn't need that), but she talked in her sleep; he was woken to her pleading cries of refusal. Over and over, the words "No… no! Please… please stop… Please… No!"

He wasn't going to let _that_ sort of thing continue, especially in her dreams, the one place she could have true freedom, and promptly tried to wake her.

Well, wake her he did, and in a cold sweat too. "…Would… Would you like to talk about it?" He asked hesitantly. Hinata brought her arms up to the collar of Naruto's vest, which she was wearing. Griping it tightly, she didn't respond, but seemed to sink deeper into it until only half her face was visible, were you looking at her. But her silence worried Naruto.

She knew it did too, but how could she tell him? How do you tell someone exactly how traumatized you are and how you can't forget those nasty images and feelings? But her real fear was that one day, if she managed to reveal her feelings about him, if their relationship got physical (the thought of which would normally bring the blood rushing madly to her cheeks), she would only feel _their_ hands on her, not her his.

That scared her more than anything else. Naruto retracted his hand from where he'd reached out to her (but stopped before touching her). "…Are you scared…?"

The words were low, but they carried an understanding Hinata had rarely heard before. Her eyes snapped open and her head pinged with a slight pain. Only two people had ever said those words with that type of compassion; her mentor and sensei, Yuhi Kurenai, and her mother.

Many others had said the same thing, but it had always been with disdain and contempt. To say words meant for ridicule and turn them into words of compassion and comfort…

She turned her head slowly, looking at Naruto with wide eyes, her back still to him. He scooched up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, leaning over her left one slightly. "I told you; 'I'm not going to let you have a reason to be scared anymore'. And ya'know somthin'…?" She looked at him and he smiled soothingly. "…I meant every word of it." He gave her a genuine Naruto-smile, the one thing in the universe that could possibly bring her happiness.

But for some reason, the smile she expected to come to her face just didn't. She tried to smile; she really did. But all she managed to do was form a fake grin.

Naruto wasn't blind to this. He frowned as well. _'I wish there was something more I could do for her…'_ He sighed internally, trying to think of something for immediate use. Nothing came. That depressed him; he was once capable of making anyone laugh in an instant. With real laughter too, not forced chuckles.

'_If only memories could be healed…'_ He thought in despair.

"I can feel them…" Her timid voice broke him from his thoughts, her words coming out as a frightened whisper. Naruto started at this.

"Their hands… all over me…" She hugged her knees to herself and wrapped the blanket tightly over her. "They're touching me everywhere… I told them to stop, and they just wouldn't!" He voice grew louder with each passing moment.

"They tried… They tried to… They-" She couldn't continue. She burst into a fit of tears and sobs, holding on to herself for what little comfort she could obtain. "They wouldn't stop! They just kept going!"

She gripped the sides of her head and curled up even more, her voice now reaching the peak of its range. Every word she said in reality, she was reliving in her mind over and over again, the vivid images stringing together in a personal, non-erasable horror film that looped in a never-ending circle. They flew around her, leaving her in a vortex of pain and misery. It was as if she was falling through the eye of a twister, spinning wheeling through an unreality; a space where nothing but suffering existed.

"Make it stop! Please! Make it stop! Make it stop!" Her voice continued to rise.

Naruto was stunned, unsure of how to respond.

"Make it stop make it stop make it stop!" Her fingers clenched her head so tightly that her blood visibly ran down her cheeks. "PLEASE MAKE IT STOP! NARUTO –KUN!"

She screamed it out, the uncaring desert only echoing her cries for help, as if mocking her and telling her "you're alone in this world." But that mocking voice was silenced by a pair of strong arms reaching around her and pulling her back.

Naruto squeezed tightly, pulling her into him. As if by some miracle, the pain in her mind and soul vanished at his touch. But while the pain may have vanished, the dismay remained. She cried powerfully, accepting his comfort and burying her head into his neck. He'd never heard a girl cry as much as she was right now. He knew it; those nightmarish memories would probably be with her the rest of her life. He narrowed his eyes and pulled her tighter.

Several minutes passed by, though to the two of them, they seemed to fade in and out of another world, unaffected by the passage of time. Who knew how long they really sat there, begging the comfort of each other. But it finally came to a point where her tears slowed and allowed her to simply sit there with her life's love. Thanks to her outburst, she was left unaffected by the proximity of Naruto to her; she hardly even noticed that.

Naruto, while he didn't want to bring back even worse memories or feelings, felt necessity take priority.

"Hinata, I'm sorry, but I have to know… Did they-…" How does one put this gently? "…Did they…_take_ you?"

Hinata's eyes widened and she looked up at his desperately. "N-No! No! Never! I'd never let them take me!" She cried out, franticly. _'No! Naruto won't love me if he thinks I'm ruined!'_ Her self-conscious self spoke to her with venomous words that she knew deep down weren't true.

It was true, however, that they tried many, _many_ times to steal her dignity away. Over and over again, nearly every day and night, men, and sometimes women were sent to her cell with the intent of defiling and dominating her, in both body and mind.

But she fought them; by God she did. Even if she did think it was hopeless, she would _never EVER_ let anyone but Naruto be her first.

That was something that, like her negative self-image, had been drilled into her by her father. It was unthinkable that anyone but the man she was to marry to have any kind of physical relationship with her. She agreed to that, wholeheartedly. It was probably the one thing her father thought she understood, but that was only because she never intended anyone but Naruto to be her betrothed.

It was one of those moments where you say "OK, I won't do it," but in your mind you say _'unless, except, but… etc.'_

She remembered it distinctly. When she'd had her first period, Hiashi had ordered her be taught that very lesson. When the women charged with that deemed she understood it, they presented her to the Hyuuga head. He wanted to make sure she knew what he meant personally. She understood what he meant, clearly; it had been pounded into her well. "I am not to engage in any sexual actions with either male or females, and am not permitted to 'date' without your approval. As a future head-of-clan, it is my duty to remain pure for my eventual husband on our wedding night."

However, mentally, her sentence didn't end there. _'Not that I have any intention of being with anyone other than Naruto-kun, father. I will keep myself pure, but it won't be for any man you have in mind. It's all for _only_ Naruto-kun.'_ But to voice those dangerous words at the time would have spelled disaster for her in far too many ways to count.

Hiashi, pleased with her answer for the moment, had her take monthly sex lessons from other female family members who were experienced in the matter. While they hadn't gone so far as to prepare her for the actual first-time penetration, she had been required to practice on various tools regarding different fetishes her future suitor might have. Oral and foot fetish were the most embarrassing for her. And she'd been able to convince them that she didn't need to actually practice anal fetishes, which they consented to, agreeing that that would probably be crossing some boundaries the young Hyuuga wasn't ready for… until she was older anyway.

But it all meant nothing to her.

All those lessons were soon pushed away and erased when Kurenai had finally had enough of Hinata's traumatized fidgeting during their team outings, whether it was for food, training or missions. Kurenai finally sat her down and talk to her about what was wrong, to which the poor Hyuuga heiress spilled out her heart to her mentor. Astounded at Hiashi's actions, and that of her family's, she offered to use a parasitic genjutsu on Hinata.

The technique would search out and devour any kind of thoughts or memories regarding certain preset parameters. Hinata couldn't remember a single word those whorish family members had said to her, or any of those disgusting practice lessons she'd been forced to endure.

Of course Kurenai had programmed it to only eat away at those lessons or similar settings, and had been very diligent in setting the jutsu's parameters so as to not interfere with her future love life with Naruto, which the red eyed sensei fully condoned and supported Hinata in pursuing.

Calling in a favor in from Inoichi, she'd had him take the genjutsu and imbed it in the very core of her psyche, deep enough to where it would take weeks to constant searching to find it, and even more to remove it. Agreeing and doing so, Hinata simply had to bear with the lessons until they were over, at which point they became fuzzy and eventually disappeared not an hour or so later.

In conclusion, she wanted to make sure it really was her _very first_ time with_ everything_ should her moment with Naruto ever come. She didn't want any kind of advanced knowledge or preparations for it; she wanted to be a _true_ virgin.

It was unfortunate, but that genjutsu was not set up to remove the memories she now had seared into her mind, and she had no way of modifying it.

At her declaration of innocence, Naruto sighed in relief, not so much for himself, but for her. He didn't know what he would have done had she lost her innocence to those monsters.

Now he knew she was simply suffering from mental trauma of brutality, rather than rape. True it was attempted rape, but not actual rape, which made him feel much better, knowing that. But his disheartened self couldn't be removed from the shared depression he was in from just that knowledge.

Her face relaxed as she saw his do the same. _'Good… he believes me. Thank God…'_ She thought in relief. She wiped her cheeks with the sleeves of his vest.

"Hinata…" She looked at him again now fearing she spoke too soon. "… I don't want you to think I wouldn't accept you if you weren't pure, because I would. It wouldn't have made a difference in how I feel about you." He said with a small smile.

The tears she'd just wiped away returned with a vengeance, and she was only able to squeak out an "Oh Naruto!" before burying her head in his chest. His acceptance of others, including her, really knew no bounds. _'How could I have ever doubted him?'_

However, Naruto's smile slowly faded. There was only one way to repair her mind; o erase those horrible memories.

'_Kyuubi.'_ The massive beast stirred in his cage, popping an eye open to look at his host. **"It's risky. Chakra wasn't meant for healing the mental, just the physical, especially mine. Using my chakra to repair her mind would probably have adverse and **_**irreversible**_** side effects on her."**

Naruto nodded his head; he'd already guessed that._ 'I know…'_ The Kyuubi stared at him curiously, waiting for him to continue. _'I know that, but…'_

He looked at the sobbing girl in his arms, so fragile in his eyes. _'…I can't just leave her like this.'_

"…**If you insist. Just know I take no responsibility for what happens to her."**

'_Hmph, you never do.' _Naruto said with a mental smirk. He gently lifted Hinata's chin up. "Hinata, this may seem sudden, and look like I'm trying to take advantage of you, but I want you to know I couldn't care more for you. You are my world, do you understand?" She nodded her head numbly, not quite understanding what he meant.

"Hinata, do you trust me?" She looked startled for a moment before shaking her head vigorously, trying not to show any hesitation. "O-of course Naruto-kun!"

"Then please, close your eyes." She blinked in surprised, but slowly closed her eyes as she was asked. She felt him raise her head up, and a few seconds later, his warm breath on her lips sent her mind screaming in disbelief. '_I-is Naruto r-really going to…?'_

Her thoughts broke off as his lips slowly pressed against hers, molding to them like clay to a press. Hinata's eyes shot wide open, but she made no immediate move to resist him. Her natural reflexes did however; her arms flexed as she was about to push him away as she had been forced to do with those creatures before. But no, this wasn't a defiler; this wasn't a monster; this was Naruto. _Her_ Naruto. The Naruto she chose had now chosen her.

Her eyes slowly drifted down and closed, her body melting into him. Slowly, ever so _agonizingly_ slowly, his lips moved, hers responding in kind. She couldn't help it, her lips just moved on their own, tightening and loosening, massaging his as they did hers. Hinata couldn't believe it, and that was an understatement. Her mind simply couldn't comprehend it; that Naruto had finally accepted her fully.

But, all good things must come to an end; his lips began to slow, indicating he was near finishing the kiss. However, that doesn't mean those good things can't be replaced with even better things!

His tongue crept out of its cave, carefully moving out towards her supple lips. Hinata gasped when she felt them touch, her breath rushing into her lungs audibly. Hinata almost felt Naruto's lips lift in a smirk, but she couldn't be sure. However, she couldn't just leave him out in the cold like that either.

Slowly, almost methodically, she let her tongue slide out as well, testing whether she was doing it right or not. Naruto gave no indication of either, and that was probably because he didn't know what she was doing. With a pulse of courage, she hesitantly pushed he tongue out further. With their tongues now only millimeters apart, Hinata felt as if she couldn't continue forward. Naruto took care of it for her, reaching out until the tip of their tongues touched. Hinata audibly gasped as an electrical surge shot through her body.

Her hands slowly crept up his bare chest, her fingers slowly gaining strength in them as they explored him, almost unconsciously. Naruto's left hand swept up to the back of her neck, using his strong hand to pull her to him. Their tongues finally began pressing against each other, rubbing and sliding together, the sensations stimulating from them impossible to explain in words.

Her mouth was burning, but it wasn't painful, but it was a good feeling. It was like being grazed by flame; the flames may burn, but the relief felt once the burning leaves is overwhelming. That burning traveled down her throat and through her body, sending her convulsing in pleasure as Naruto pulled her to him, leaving no space for even a single molecule of air to stand between them. If emotions could be sent through physical contact, Hinata sure she was feeling a type of love he'd never even dreamed of. The care and compassion that she felt was intense and unavoidable; it permeated every part of her, invading her with gentle care.

Confusion was high on her mind; _'Does love like this actually exist? Naruto-kun, he… He loves me… with this love. Oh Naruto-kun…'_ She was ready to simply fall apart and die with happiness. But Naruto would have none of it; his arms held her together, refusing her any reprieve. But even a trained warrior like him could only hold his breath so long. He broke from her gasping for breath, which she was gulping down like water in a desert. "Naruto… T-that was…" Hinata panted out, but didn't finish. But then again, she didn't need to, if the dazed, satisfied grin on her face was anything to go by.

She fell onto her back, taking him with her. Shooting his arms out to keep from landing on her, he landed with both hands on either side of her head. His smile spread from ear to ear. They looked into each other's eyes and a chuckled. That chuckle turned into a full laugh, though neither knew where it came from. Suddenly, Hinata's problems seemed so far away… She had no idea what problems they were anymore.

Naruto stopped laughing, but kept his smile up. He leaned down again for another kiss, but her hands pushing on his chest stopped him. He looked at her curiously.

"I… I think I like… where we are… right now." She said between breaths, a light pink stripe stretching across her face. Naruto smiled understandingly. She understood that if they continued, they would probably go far beyond the simple kiss Naruto had intended. Truth be told, if they got to that point, Naruto wasn't sure if even he would be able to stop. She wasn't ready for that step yet, and probably, neither was he.

Naruto smiled and picked her up, holding her to his chest in the classic lover's hold (bridal style), being sure to tuck the blanket she was using as a shield for her lower half between his arms and her skin. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he hauled her up. They both smiled at each other as they were only a few inches apart. Naruto looked ahead and back to Hinata. "Better hold on, love." He said, leaving just enough pause between the last two words to surprise the young Hyuuga into a blush. He laughed as she only held him closer, accepting (with zero hesitance) that they were now a couple.

Naruto crouched, building up energy in his feat before shooting off into the dunes. It would take another half a day to reach the nearest village, and one sun was already rising in the sky, with the second just peaking over the horizon.

But despite how perfect the day had started out for both of them, there was one thing Naruto had yet to worry about.

'_Well?'_ Naruto asked mentally. **"All you needed to do was touch her head. You know good and well you didn't need to kiss her."** Naruto smirked at the fur-ball. _'Exactly. I knew that once you erased her bad memories, they would need to be replaced by others. And I knew exactly what would be good replacements.'_ He looked off into the shadows of the room with a distant, but happy gaze.

The Kyuubi visible eye narrowed. **"That's not my point. You did exactly what the people in those damned memories were trying to do. There was no difference."**

'One_ difference,' _Naruto corrected._ '…she was resisting them for me. She wanted that moment to happen just as much as I did. It just so happened that kissing her killed two birds with one stone.'_ Naruto mused, halfway to himself. Kissing her replaced the memories, while the Kyuubi's chakra traveled through Naruto's mouth into Hinata's, up through the roof of her mouth in into her Pre-frontal lobe, and through the fingers of Naruto's left hand, placed on the back of her neck, and into her Hippocampus. From there, the chakra was able to completely purge her Temporal lobe of all negative memories regarding her capture.

'_Besides, it was necessary for her self esteem, don't you think? I did everything that was needed to achieve the maximum peak rehabilitation, no?'_ He smirked and looked askance at the Kyuubi. He made it sound so impersonal, despite the fact that it was in fact quite the opposite.

"**Even so, you had no idea if I was even capable of doing it successfully. You took a risk with her life you know. Is that really ok with you?"** Kyuubi asked curiously.

'_True. But…'_ Naruto looked at him fully and gave him his trademarked fox-faced smile. _'I trust you, so it's ok.'_ Kyuubi was silent for a moment before snorting and turning away. Naruto smirked again and returned to the moment, sliding across the burning hills of sand.

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**System name: UNKNOWN  
Constellation:** **UNKNOWN****  
Region: UNKNOWN  
Sovereignty: UNKNOWN  
Security Level: UNKNOWN**

Kora Ikari punched in the code and the containment device was filled with the amniotic fluid that kept Black Lister in a physical suspended animation. After checking all the systems regarding it, and deeming them green, she went over to her private station and plugged into the ship.

"_Ah, Lister! Your back."_ Lethal's voice came over the intercom.

"_No no, you just think I am."_ She heard her captain respond. Her link to the ship and its systems were limited, but she had been given access to the communication, scanning, and other things that she could alert her captain to, were he not paying attention. However, she did not have access to interfere with those systems. For example she didn't have access to speak on the main channel, or to edit the passive scanning settings. But she didn't mind; she had her own private channel for herself and the captain.

She looked over at the floating, near naked body inside the fishbowl like containment device. He wore only a pair of tight black pants that hugged his skin, going down to just above his knees. Though one would expect his body to be thin and fragile, it was actually quite the opposite; Capsuleers took great care in keeping their bodies in shape. Because they hardly ever left their pods, unless it was absolutely necessary, they never had much exercise. However, the one time Kora had been lucky enough to be allowed into the captain's quarters, she noticed it was set up as almost a home away from home. It had a kitchen, a bed in the middle of the main room. A massive holovision was mounted on the wall and a rather elaborate gym was right beside it. Posters were stuck to the wall, though what they were of, she wasn't sure.

That was the day after she'd been allowed to leave the cloning center and return to the ship. Hearing that she was the lone survivor of a starship wreck was very humbling for her, and she was surprised to hear she'd been cloned.

She hadn't expected it, that's for sure. When the last of the hull had been destroyed and the core went critical, she'd expected it all to end in a blinding flash. Well, the flash came, but after that, all she had were fuzzy memories of a pale white room and a bunch of figures standing over her. She'd been told later that they were the doctors who preformed her cloning. When she woke up, she'd been put through a short, two day rehabilitation course, just to make sure she was fully functional. During her breaks, she was allowed to shop around for some cloths and other items she might want to buy for her quarters when the ship returned with the small amount of money left to her by her captain for such a purpose.

The question "why did he go so far to save me?" had crossed her mind more than once during those few days, and the many more after that. Though he insisted it was strictly a morale booster, she had her doubts that that was the actual reason. But she never once complained. No sir, never.

She watched his body float aimlessly through the tank. When she'd first accepted this job, she'd been shocked when it hit her that behind the shields, armor, hull, bristling weapons and gadgetry, there was this lone, weak body.

Before, her thoughts were _'How can _I _a simple human be needed by a Capsuleer? '_ It wasn't until that moment that she realized, _'Maybe they need as much help as we can give… '_

While her first weeks working in the different position had been stressful for both of them (though BL was too amused to admit it), she'd eventually gotten the ropes of the job he required her to do.

"_So… any other rats show up after I disconnected?"_ Naturally, when a Capsuleer disconnects from his ship, they instantly feel as if they're naked, which is understandable, considering the ships acts at their cloths and armor when jacked in. They also feel cut off from the outside world, not being able to access anything other than the local channels of the system on the NEOCOM.

"_Yeah, like one or two. Not much really. Got some rather… _interesting_ salvage though."_ Lethal commented.

"_Ooh, do tell."_

"_Check this out."_ Came Apollos' voice as data sheets splashed over Lister's screen. His digital eyes flitted over them, examining their specs and descriptions.

"_Warp modules?"_ He asked curiously.

"_Yup. Looks like a warp core stabilizer on drugs."_ Method said as he just connected after a night's sleep and followed the conversation.

"_Well, actually these little babies are gonna make star gates obsolete. For instance, what ould have taken us, I dunno, maybe 60 days to travel from this system to the next with our normal drives, which I believe is usually 3 AUs per second, it'll take you probably around 60 days to get there. With these new drives we'd be able to cross the galaxy and back in less than half that time. That's at least a rough estimate."_ Lethal explained as his computers no doubt brought up information on the subject.

The channel was quiet for a moment, aside for a few impressed whistles. _"Exactly."_ Lethal said in response to those whistles. _"Anyway, we're using the components salvaged from the rats to make some new modules for us. Problem is, we have no idea how our ships will stand up to the stress of the increased speed. And Lister, since you just volunteered, you're going to try it out first."_

"_Why did I just volunteer?"_ Lister asked.

"_Because you're expendable. Now get your arse over to the ship fitting array on the double."_

Kora turned her head to look at her captain and snickered lightly when she saw one of his closed eyes twitch.

* * *

"We must send reinforcements to drive these invaders away! They must not be allowed to gain a foothold!"

"I agree! This cannot be permitted!"

"They are trespassing on our territories!"

"Our brothers and sisters must be avenged!"

"ENOUGH!"

The chamber quieted as the Vagaari political council, which had been thrown into near turmoil as of the other day. The Vagaari Council Director stood, his booming voice enhanced from both mouths on the side of his face. The massive amphitheater quieted slowly, the various chairmen hesitantly returning to their seats from where they'd stood to voice their opinion. When the Director was happy with their silence, he placed both of his long-fingered hands on the railing before him and leaned forward.

"It's true… we lost many brothers and sisters to these invaders, and they have made advances on our territories in blatant disregard to our demands of the opposite!" The crowd erupted in roars of disapproval.

"Anyone who infringes on our land will pay the price! Because of this, I approve the diverting of the Argazu Fleet, dedicating it to the destruction of the hostiles-…!" His words were drowned out with cries of approval, the entire assembly rising from their seats with shouts for blood.

It didn't take much to antagonize the Vagaari, especially considering there were few in the Unknown Regions that dared to raise a hand against them.

This foreign feeling of violation was utterly unacceptable to the proud slaver race.

Toleration did not exist to the Vagaari.

This was the eve of battle.

* * *

Naruto slowly slid to a stop, the friction-formed dust temporarily shielding them from the blazing suns in the noon sky. "Finally! We made it!" Naruto exclaimed proudly.

He stepped through the slow walls of the town. Naruto was instantly assaulted by the smells and sights of the alien city. "I guess we really aren't in our world anymore…" He mused quietly as he spied the dozens of different creatures walking around. The urban area was filled with pedestrians and mounts, all of them crowding the main street, which he assumed was the one they were on right now.

Hinata held herself close to him as she rode on his back. They'd taken a small break earlier, and during that break Hinata had managed to turn the rough cloth into a skirt of sorts using a combination of ninja wire and needles from Naruto's med-kit. It was also because she didn't have any shoes to protect her non-calloused feet from the burning sands that Naruto didn't let her down, even though they'd slowed down to a manageable pace for her.

"Since we're here, we might as well stock up on supplies." Hinata suggested. Naruto smiled at her and nodded. "Well, wuddia want? We can steel pretty much anything we need. After all, our money's probably useless."

Hinata nodded and thought for a moment. "Well, anything that looks good is fine with me."

With an affirmative, Naruto readjusted his grip on his passenger and looked around, leaping onto a nearby roof, gaining a few stares from below, but fewer than he expected. From even this slight difference in elevation, he could see the small town actually stretched much farther.

But what amazed them both the most were the flying vehicles that shattered the sky as they passed by. For a few minutes, they both stopped and stared in awe; it wasn't every day you saw a boat that flew. But their peace was broken by a rather loud rumble. They both looked down. _'Wait, was that my stomach?'_ Naruto asked himself in surprise.

_*grooowll...*_

Naruto picked his head up from his downward gaze in surprise. A quick look behind him showed him the culprit. Hinata sunk her head down in slight embarrassment. "S-sorry…" She mumbled with an embarrassed smile on her face. Naruto laughed lightly, and readjusted her on his back. Directing his attention back to the bustling streets. There was a market place not far away, but what Naruto saw as far as food didn't exactly sit well with his stomach. Still, it was better than nothing. Naruto hopped down and landed as softly as he could and made his way to where the more appetizing food lay.

Little did the couple know that a pair of golden orbs were following their every move with excited abandon.

* * *

Naruto and Hinata walked through the bazaar, occasionally picking out a food type or two that looked decent. A quick swipe-and-sample told them that it was ok, and another few sleight of hands later and they had a good amount. This continued for nearly two hours as they simply kept finding good foods around. However, when they'd gathered enough, Naruto took them both a dead-end alley and set his love down. The sand was cool here from the shade of the two walls on both sides, and it felt good to have her feet back on solid ground, despite her enjoyment of Naruto's services.

Reaching behind him, he pulled out a scroll with the kanji for _SUPPLIES_ written on it and handed it to Hinata. "Ok, I need you to seal the food and stuff into this for me while I go and get something else I saw. 'K?" Hinata's face darkened but she nodded.

"Don't worry Hina-chan, I'll leave a **Kage-Bunshin** behind to look after you." He said as he brought her forehead to his lips. She relaxed and smiled at him. "**Kage-Bunshin no jutsu.**" He mumbled before a puff of smoke appeared and disappeared, revealing a complete replica of Naruto. "I'll be right back Hina," He said before disappearing around the corner.

Hinata sighed, but the clone looked back to her and smiled. "C'mon Hina, let's get this stuff stored." Hinata called forth a smile and nodded. This was still _a_ Naruto after all. She unrolled the scroll and was surprised to see all of the sections of supplies Naruto could need were neatly organized by type. Looking for food, she noticed that around the main circle of seals, there were several other branching circles. One was COLD FOOD, and another was HEATABLE. Others were CHILLED, FROZEN, and INGREDIANTS. She carefully sealed the items away in their respective places, with the Naruto-clone giving her directions here and there. She knew how to seal items away, but she'd never had a need to do so, thus her relative inexperience in the field.

But, with Naruto's guidance, she managed to successfully seal all the food away. With that done, she placed it in a pocket of Naruto's vest, since she didn't have the ninja-bag that most pretty much every shinobi wore. The Naruto clone smiled at her and leaned against the wall opposite Hinata, capable of keeping an eye on both the entrance and her at the same time. Nothing was going to get past him.

* * *

Naruto, the original, brushed past dozen of pedestrians, aiming for a cloth stand. When he'd set Hinata down in that alley, and even before that when he'd set her down for her to sew together that makeshift skirt, he could see scratches and friction burn on her skin. She needed decent cloth for something like that, and Naruto was going to get it for her. He'd seen her eyeing a store they'd passed earlier that sold it, and he was retracing his steps to find it. It wasn't too long before he did.

The store keeper was a strange creature that Naruto could only decide was a mix between an unfortunate fat man and an elephant. Naruto waited nearby, but not too close, until the shopkeeper was busy with something and turned around. Naruto rushed over, and grabbed a box of supplies and vanished. Atop a building maybe a hundred yards from the shop, Naruto opened the box to see if the clothes were decent. To his delight, they were. Coincidently, it was filled with cyan blue silk and lavender cotton. _'What are the odds the first one I pick up would have Hinata's complementary colors?'_ He asked himself, not daring to complain. Someone up above was obviously giving them a break and he was going to accept it with open arms.

Folding the box back up, he pulled out an extra blank scroll and sealed it in there. With a smile he put it in the pouch on the back of his left hip and slipped back down onto street.

* * *

Hinata sat there, quite content to draw pictures in the fine grains of sand, Naruto's ever watchful eyes glittering with entertainment. That is, before they widened as a cold sensation made itself known on his neck, making him stiffen before there was a slight pain and he disappeared.

The poofing sound of Naruto's clone startled Hinata out of her doodling. "…N-naruto…? Are you there…?" There was no response, and she stood up and back up against the wall, her hands already channeling chakra into her fingers. She was unprepared for a pale, slimy arm to wrap around her mouth and another around her waist and puller _back_. She tried to scream, but it was too muffled by the pale white hand over her mouth. Her vision darkened and consciousness left her a moment later as the alley disappeared.

* * *

A sudden chill ran through him, stopping him dead in his tracks. Memories suddenly flooded through his mind. He'd been standing right next to Hinata before the cold metal of a knife was dragged across his neck and the clone vanished.

Naruto's eyes widened in fear and he dashed back to the alley. He was there only a few moments later. He looked down; there was Hinata's doodling, now slightly disturbed. He looked around. "Hinata! Where are you?" He cried out, looking frantically around the alley for clues of her location. It was thanks to those desperate glances that he was able to spot a flying knife that seemed to come out of nowhere and speed toward him. His eyes widened and he ducked to the side, his shoulder hitting the wall the sudden action. But before he could get himself steady again, a firm hand grabbed the top of his head and pushed it hack against the wall, while another shadowy arm wrapped around his waist. He tried to push against it, but it was futile as his vision, too, darkened as the alleyway vanished.

* * *

Hinata's eyes opened slowly, but even though they opened, she could only see darkness. She tried to pick herself up, but her hands wouldn't move. She looked down and saw a pair of cuffs on her wrists. But even though she tried to use her chakra to cut them off, she didn't feel any enter her arms. Flipping her wrists over, she could see clearly, even in the darkness, a chakra seal on the cuffs. Her eyes widened. No one but her and Naruto knew how to do that, unless…

A groan from beside her caught her attention and she saw Naruto lying on his side, facing away from her. Frantically she reached over and tried to rouse him.

"Naruto! Naruto, wake up!" Another groan escaped his lips as he opened his eyes. He blinked a few times, also realizing he was in a dark room. But he could clearly see Hinata, since she was so close to him. He gave her a silly smile and sleepily yawned. "Nya~aaahhh… Good morning Hina-hime…" He closed his eyes to sleep again, before bolting straight up in realization.

"Wait a minute, what the Hell?" He tried to get up, but his hands yanked him back. Looking down, he noticed the chakra sealed cuffs as well, looking at Hinata worriedly. "Are you ok Hinata? They didn't hurt you did they?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so, but I can't use my chakra." She said dismally. Naruto nodded. "Neither can I… The only people who know how to make these are people like us; Shinobi."

He let the realization sink in for Hinata before scooting over to her and pulling her close, as far as their chains allowed. "I'm sorry Hina-san…" She frowned at his use of the distant honorific. "I should have used the clone to go get that last stuff. I should have guarded you myself."

She shook her head. "No, I'm thankful you went instead. If you hadn't you would have died instead of your clone, and I-" She didn't finish that thought. She didn't want to even contemplate that. Naruto frowned. He supposed she was right. Then a flash of memory hit him and he reached behind him. His pack was gone. He sighed in sadness.

He took longing glance over to Hinata and blinked. "Hinata, when did you get that?" Hinata blinked at him and looked down to what he was pointing at. She looked down and her eyes widened when she realized she was wearing a basic white yukata. Naruto's vest lay beside her, on the opposite side as Naruto, which is why he didn't see it to begin with. Hinata was surprised. Since when do kidnappers accommodate the victim?

"W-who did...?"

"Ahh I see your both awake. I was thinking it was about time." The smooth voice came out from the shadows, and it came out in their native tongue, a surprise to both of them. "Who's there?" Naruto shot out, trying to pierce the darkness with his eyes.

"Do you really not remember me, Kyuubi?" Naruto's eyes opened wide and his mouth went slack; only ten people ever called him that. "C-could it be… Akatsuki?" Naruto said in shock. The tall figure stepped closer, allowing a little more of himself the be seen. His inhuman shape made it difficult to tell who he was, but t those who already knew of him, it wasn't a form they could easily forget.

"Z-Zetsu!" Naruto growled out as the half man, half plant came into clearer view. "Good afternoon to you too, **Kyuubi Jinchūriki."**

"You bastard… What are you doing here?" Said Bijuu holder demanded. Zetsu, well, the white side anyway, smirked. "That's actually a very good question. We don't even know."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, though his disgusted scowl remained. "What do you mean you don't know? Are you saying you _didn't_ come here to get me?"

"Believe it or not, meeting you here was really just coincidence." Zetsu began. "Us Akatsuki were transported here for some strange reason, not necessarily all at the same time. After finding each other, we decided, since we didn't have any money, we needed to begin operations to gain funds. I was instructed to start some on this planet, which is actually known for things like that."

Naruto's eye narrowed. _'No surprise there.'_

"So what happens now? You take the Kyuubi from me?" Naruto asked, expecting a "yes."

Zetsu grinned and turned away slightly. "That's what I thought as well, but nope." Naruto raised a surprised eyebrow.

"Turns out, Leader wants us to take care of you. He said, 'we can't afford any losses at this point, so protect them as you would yourself. Treat them as an ally from now on.'"

Naruto looked at him with extreme skepticism. "…Why would _he_ say that?" He asked in a low tone.

"Beats me, but those are his orders." He said turning away and going over to a small table, which Naruto could now see as his eyes adjusted.

He narrowed his eyes; something was off. "…Why isn't your other half talking?"

Zetsu turned back to him with an amused smile, nearly chuckling. "Oh, him? He's salivating over that girl over there. And I have to admit, she does look tasty."

Naruto's eyes widened. "If you dare touch her-!"

"-Chill out. I told you, Leader wants you safe and secure. That includes the girl too, since she's a Hyuuga."

Naruto fell silent, but continue to send glares at the back of the plant-like Akatsuki, who'd turned away from them again. Hinata understood most of what they were talking about. The fact that Naruto was the Kyuubi Jinchūriki was common knowledge around the village, and that the Akatsuki wanted him for that power was also well known. But with Naruto no silent, she finally found her voice. It was actually quite scary, talking to an Akatsuki for the first time. "A-ano… Zetsu-…san…?" She said hesitantly, being sure to address him with the proper title, lest he be offended.

The plant-man turned around, eyeing her amusingly. "W-where did this yukata come from? Was… was this from you?" She asked, dreading the embarrassment she knew she'd feel if what she thought was true.

Zetsu narrowed his eyes. "You could say that. After all, we can't have you go around in that pathetic dress thing you were wearing."

He noticed Naruto's eyes narrowed at him and his teeth grinding against each other. "Oh settle down you fox. Yes, I dressed her. Yes, I took her clothes off. Yes, I saw her birthday-suit. But before you get your panties in a knot, just know that while I do desire her flesh, it's for a much more… **primitive reason."** His dark half finally spoke up, as Zetsu's white side licked his lips. Naruto growled low I his throat.

"Ahahahaha! You really are a fox!" He said, genuinely amused. "Let me guess, you've already marked her as your territory, right?" Naruto's eyes narrowed even more. "Hahahaha! You have you have! Hahaha! That's hilarious! Hahahaaa!" Zetsu continued to laugh, apparently tickled by Naruto's fox-like characteristics.

Hinata on the other hand refused to speak, her face bright red as she hugged her hands to her chest, as if she'd somehow been violated. But along with that embarrassment, came fear; that man could have easily killed them both, but what scared her even more, was that the Akatsuki, from what she deduced in her mind, probably would have eaten her at any other time, conscious or not, and that scared her even more. A brief, vague pulse of pain shot through her side, as if her body was trying to remember something, but it vanished as soon as it appeared.

"Oh, by the way…" Zetsu's smooth voice broke her from her thoughts. He held out a small scroll. "I believe this was supposed to be a gift to you." He said as he approached her and bent town, placing the small item on the ground, making it stand vertically on it end. Naruto recognized it immediately.

"How long were you watching me?" Naruto asked. Zetsu explained to him as Hinata took the scroll in her hands. "Since you arrived at Jabba's palace." Naruto's eyes narrowed. So that slug's name was Jabba, huh?

"If that's the case, why didn't you protect Hinata from them? Those were your orders right?" He asked. Hinata looked between them, the scroll still in her hands.

"If I had known she was there, I might have. Problem is, I had just gotten there a few hours before you. My job was to propose a deal to Jabba, and see if he would agree to some black market trading with us. When you showed up, I decided against revealing myself. Then I watched as you went bat-shit crazy and broke out."

**"Which reminds me…"** He reached into his cloak and withdrew a small piece of cloth and tossed it to Hinata. "Here." She dropped the scroll and looked at the blue strip of cloths trying to get her eyes to adjust. It didn't take long; she gasped, and cried out.

It was her headband, the one she'd gotten from Kurenai-sensei all those years ago. She thought she'd lost it when she'd been captured. She looked up at Zetsu with teary eyes. "Hey, don't look at me; it fell out of his pocket after all I just picked it up." He lied as he pointed to Naruto. The overwhelmed Hyuuga looked at a surprised Naruto and instantly wrapped her arms around him in what was _almost_ a flying glomp.

Naruto, slightly confused and suspicious why Zetsu would lie in his favor, was _not_ hesitant to bring his arms around her.

**"Softy."** Zetsu mumbled to himself. "Don't worry about it too much." His white half said, watching the emotional scene with amusement.

* * *

**A/N: Well wasn't that a twist? Or if your a fan of S&S you might have allready expected somthing like that. But trust me, it will NOT be the same as S&S. Similar elemnts? Yes. Similar storyline? No. Anyway, as you can see, Hinata is NOT damaged, and is perfectly fine and healthy. I hope you liked this chapter. Yes, naruto will learn basic, allowing him to speak to tohers in the SW universe, but that wont be untill later. Oh, right, I almost forgot. Some of you were unhappy with how I had Naruto meet Hinata. you said "Its too gruesom! You had her half eaten to the point she needed a demonic infusion of chakra!" **

**Well yes and no. She was heavily injured, which if you think about it, an animal doesnt care what part of the body its eating as long as its fullfilling and tasty. So its understandable that she could get injured that far. Also, as far as i'm concerned, the fox's healing chakra can be directed at a person, or if nearby can extend to them as well, as it did in the last chapter.**

**Also, I updated the last chapter to flow more, so if you want, go ahead and re-read over that one to see how I did. Happy reading and REVEIWING! HINT HINT!**

**PS. If any of you are interested in making Fan Art for any of my stories, don't hesitate to ask, I'd realy appreciate it. If your interested, please tell me.**

**'Till next time!**


	7. Chapter 7: Inferno

**A/N:Well, this one was pretty fun to write! I rather enjoyed it, which is different, but in a refreshing way. This chapter probably would have been done sooner except I've been suddenly addicted to League of Legends. If you play that game, and you like Naruto, as I do, you'll understand when I say I love Fiddlesticks. :D Anyway, if you play that game, shoot me a friend invite. The name's Black Lister. Look me up :) Anyway, onto the chapter!**

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* * *

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**Chapter 7: Inferno**

Naruto held Hinata close to him as they traveled through the streets of Mos Espa, Zetsu leading the way. The entire place made him completely uneasy, and Hinata was feeling it too. She was still dressed only in her small white yukata; no undergarments, no accessories. Only her black shinobi sandals stood out from her pure white outfit.

She wasn't going to say anything about it, but she felt extremely vulnerable; she was completely naked, aside for a thin white dress that went down to just blow her knees and hung quite loosely around her chest, revealing far more than what she was comfortable with. It wasn't so much that she was worried about other people though. She could care less about them. It was mainly because Naruto was standing directly next to her. And even though he kept his eyes forward, she couldn't help but feel his eyes examining her body every once in a while. Zetsu on the other hand, she was just plain terrified of.

The fact that the man feasted on human flesh made her all the more careful with how much of her body was showing. With one hand she held onto Naruto, and with the other she pulled the flaps of her yukata's top together, her headband now helping cover some of her cleavage. Unfortunately, while it did hide her flesh, it only accentuated her massive chest. For her age, she was far more developed than anyone else in their class. While not going so far as to say she was bigger than some other women she'd seen, she was certain that for her age, she was pushing the limits of clothes girls her age would die to fit into.

For instance, when she'd been in the hot springs, the local gossip hub and social gathering place, she's often seen girls twice her age put on bras that she'd long since outgrown. But she'd been very careful not to let anyone see her chest. She knew rumors would get out about it and that was the last thing she needed. It was one reason she'd often seclude herself to a vacant corner of the springs and face away from the others, or wait until the more infrequent hours of the day to go and relax.

In retrospect, this probably didn't help her self-image, or public image, but she was glad she'd done it. Naruto would be completely surprised when he saw her.

'_Actually, I suppose it would be more appropriate to say_ if_ rather than _when_.'_ She thought with gloom. Then, catching herself, cursed her usual inhibitions and disbelief. Naruto loved her now, and he knew she loved him as well.

'_I no longer need to think those things.'_ She thought with distant joy. Her only real concern, concerning Naruto, was whether or not her body would agree to his tastes. She had absolutely no idea what he was into, and it's constantly plagued her mind whether he would like certain parts of her body. She'd overheard many conversations, from girls her age and above, about how guys they'd slept with had different preferences. She'd heard many different things; strange things that had at one time, scared her away from ever having sex, for fear that Naruto would enjoy that sort of thing.

It'd taken her several months to get over those fears. But after watching Naruto and his genuine mischievous, but also innocent persona, she became more and more assured that he wouldn't, or didn't.

That had been another thing she'd wondered/worried about; whether or not Naruto was a virgin. It was difficult to tell. He was always fawning over Sakura when he was younger, and she couldn't be sure that he hadn't had a night with her. If he'd ever done it before, he didn't show it. It worried her though. It wasn't exactly a make-or-break issue, but she still wanted to know.

But while Hinata was fussing over her clothing and unspoken relational issues, Naruto was doing his best to keep his cool. His eyes kept straying to her ample chest, which strained greatly against her undersized outfit. He quickly averted his eyes before he could burn a detailed image of her chest in his mind. Call it strange if you will though, his eyes actually fell more often to her legs. Her perfectly shaped legs were just the right size for him, and her pale skin held no blemish that even the most skilled and critical eye could find. Had she been barefoot, he would have fawned over her perfect feet as well, but as they weren't, he wasn't.

Naturally though, they weren't the only part of her body he was looking at. If she was a bit behind him, he'd glance at her chest, which she was adamant on keeping covered, and if she were a little ahead of him (which she rarely was), he caught a glimpse of the outline of her rear (which because of her pulling on the front of the article of clothing, brought the back of it taught over her backside).

However, even so, he did his best to resist his hormonal desires and impulses. But he just couldn't help it sometimes; her smooth, elegant body entranced him in a way he couldn't comprehend, and left him strange feelings in his gut and chest that he assumed must be pride and astonishment at the realization that she was his girl, and no one else's.

Strangely enough though, these feelings also brought along a virgin notion to him; territory. She was _his._ _Only_ his. He had to make sure _no one_ could ever have her as their own. Only _he_ could enjoy her. Only _he_ could love and be loved by her.

Though it couldn't be seen, his left hand, which was hidden in a pocket, clenched and unclenched, clawing at his thigh through the fabric. In the back of his mind, whispers of instinct and intuition nagged at him, giving him impulsive ideas on how exactly to make her his. Naturally, these ideas were quite unexplainable, and Naruto had no idea where they came from. He only knew that that was way beyond what he was capable of thinking, so he figured it had something to do with being the Jinchūriki to a primal beast.

Foxes mate for life after all, and even if the Kyuubi was a mass of demonic chakra that only craved destruction, he was still a Nine-Tailed _Fox_. Being within Naruto had changed the Kyuubi over time, though not much, and Naruto assumed his human desires had somehow been pushed onto the Kyuubi, just as the Kyuubi's will had sometimes been forced upon him.

He looked down at her fidgeting and shy form and felt that monstrous itch to mark her somehow. Like how dogs mark their territory, except… different. Her face was soft and cute; her hair was long, flowing and silky soft, blowing in the small winds that blew past them. Her hips were perfectly sized and shaped, and with each step he could feel himself harden more. He could only imagine what she looked like underneath that robe.

But as his mind, against his will, tried to think back to the time he saw her at the slug's citadel, he found that the memories simply wouldn't come to mind. Almost as if they'd been eras-

'_Kyuubi…'_ Naruto knew he had something to do with it, though _what_ he'd done, _when_ he'd done it, and for _what reason_ he'd done it were a complete mystery to the young blond. Naruto's spirit inwardly thanked the creature, allowing him to respect Hinata as best he could, while his flesh screamed untold obscenities at him.

'_The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak…'_ He reasoned in his mind.

"What was that Naruto-kun?" Hinata said from beside him, looking slightly up at him (being two inches shorter after all). Naruto blinked at her. _'Did I say that out loud?'_

"Oh, hehe, its nothing Hinata. Just thinking out loud." He said with a fox-like smile while rubbing the beck of his neck, his thigh noticeably thanking him for his left hand's distraction. He looked back to the back of Zetsu and realized he'd pretty much summed up Hinata, though her will wasn't as strong as it probably should have been.

'_She probably has her bastard father to thank for that.'_ It was largely known that Hiashi was very strict and more detrimental than beneficial to her psyche. What nobody knew was that her shyness and fear of others around her was brought upon by her father's regular (almost predictable to the point one could schedule on their calendar) beatings.

Many a night she would limp up to her room, battered, bruised, and not uncommonly bleeding. Or if she was already in her room, she'd simply drop to the floor in a sobbing heap once her father was out of earshot.

Her nightly trips to Tsunade were kept secret, even from her family. Tsunade begrudgingly didn't tell anyone, though she wanted to intervene very much. Hinata had convinced her it would only make things worse, and Tsunade simply couldn't refuse. The combined amount of chakra Tsunade had poured into the small Hyuuga girl over the years would have been enough to splice one of the Hokage mountains heads clean in half.

No one else knew.

No one, but Naruto.

It was only after Naruto learned Sage Jutsu. After that, his evening meditations had been plagued by strange, unpleasant sensations. When he mastered the Kyuubi's chakra, his ability to sense the emotions of others sent shivers down his spine.

At the time, he had no idea who could produce such negative motions, and he could never track the source down. It never occurred to him that the mass of negative emotions was a combination of Hinata's misery, and Hiashi's disappointment and viciousness.

It didn't take a genius to put two and two together. When he'd found out, he'd made plans to "confront" the man, but the sudden change he, and apparently others had for some reason experienced delayed his plans indefinitely.

But dwelling on the subject wasn't going to help anyone at this point, so he tried to focus back on keeping an eye on the streets, and his girl.

Zetsu on the other hand, could practically smell the pheromones coming from both of the adolescent kids, and it frankly made him want to puke. Well, one side of him anyway.

'_**There so naïve…'**_ The black half of Zetsu mused. _'Oh leave them alone. There young. They're allowed to be naïve.'_

'_**They're shinobi, yet they behave like children.' **_It was obvious that that side of Zetsu either didn't approve of them, or just their actions. White Zetsu, on the other hand, simply didn't care. He thought it was entertaining to watch, and what they did was of no concern to him.

To tell the truth, Zetsu simply found them amusing; both halves had to admit that much. He needn't turn around to know how they were acting either. He could tell just fine from where he was. But while he did have to now worry about keeping those kids safe, he also had other, more pressing matters to attend to, which was why, at the moment, he was taking them to a safe and secure location.

He'd gotten to this planet by way of hiring a space captain with what little funds they'd managed to scrape together by theft. Zetsu was one of the few Akatsuki who were invested into leaving Coruscant, along with Pain and Kakuzu. And now that that freighter captain was hired, he'd been instructed to wait here in this "Mos Espa" until Zetsu finished business. The captain had originally refused, stating that he had much better placed to be, and to waste his money on. Fortunately, Zetsu had "convinced" him to remain on planet until he was done.

'_Hope he doesn't mind a few new passengers.'_

'_**Of course he will, but it doesn't matter either way, does it?'**_

Zetsu visibly smirked. _'Nope, not at all.'_

However, the spaceport was on the other end of the city, and it was long past noon, and Zetsu was starving. He looked back to the two fellow shinobi and could only assume they were likewise, as he knew they hadn't eaten all day. He'd seen them looking for food, and that had been the morning, and when he'd knocked them out, they'd remained unconscious for a good several hours before they awakened.

He stopped in the middle of the street and sniffed the air. There was probably a cantina nearby. Not because he could smell food, but he could smell the booze on the breaths of the hundreds of passerby's breaths much stronger than before. He turned to his two tails.

Naruto and Hinata stopped when they realized Zetsu had done the same. Naruto, still a little distrusting of the Akatsuki, couldn't help but voice his skeptic concern.

"What is it? Something wrong?" Naruto asked, his muscles ready for any action that might be needed.

"Nothing's wrong, per say. I was just thinking you two would be hungry after a full day without eating." Zetsu's white half said sarcastically, his golden eyes twinkling in the shadow of the two plantlike appendages surrounding him.

Naruto and Hinata looked at each other in surprise before their stomachs chose that moment to growl loudly. With a nervous stammer, Naruto rubbed the back of his neck while looking away. "Well, I guess we could go for a little something…"

Hinata gave a silent nod of affirmation and Zetsu turned back around and continued walking. **"Then follow me."**

They did so in silence, Naruto still keeping his eyes out for danger, and Hinata once again consumed in her own troubles and concerns, most of which dealt with her, as far as she was concerned, overly exposed body.

It was a few minutes before Zetsu led them to a small one story building. It was longer than it was wide, and had small domes on its room made out of the same sand-colored materials as the rest of it and the city. From a distance, Naruto could have sworn it was just a giant sand castle.

Stooping down to enter the low doorway, Zetsu led them into the cool but humid air of the cantina. Naruto immediately brought Hinata closer to his own body. With his other hand Naruto held his nose. To a shinobi like him, and with the Kyuubi's influence on his body, his sense of smell was considerably greater than most. So as soon as he walked into the bar, he was instantly assaulted with the overpowering stench of alcohol and body odor. His eyes watered as he shoved chakra into his nose to filter out the awful smells.

Unlike most olfactory sensor types, his smell was natural, not chakra enhance. Instead, he used chakra to _block_ smells rather than make them stronger. Shaking his head to clear it, he looked back to where Zetsu had moved into a booth in the back corner of the cantina, jerking his head back in a "come here" manner.

Hinata looked at her love, who nodded in assurance, and then led her over to Zetsu. The booth was against the wall, with a circular bench that wrapped around the table. Naruto slid Hinata in first and then sat on the outside, with Zetsu on Hinata's other side. Naruto would normally have place himself between the Akatsuki, but with so little knowledge of this place and the usual actions of its inhabitants, Naruto considered them a greater potential threat than Zetsu.

Settling in, Hinata placed on hand in her lap, pressing the fabric between her legs, since without doing so, her pussy would be exposed to anyone who happened to look under the table. Her other hand she kept occupied with keeping her cleavage from showing, which thankfully her headband hanging around her neck helped in doing. Naruto also noticed how she slouched down, as if trying to discreetly hide from someone.

"What's wrong Hina?" Naruto asked softly, giving her his full attention. She didn't look at him, but her eyes drifted between the several patrons at the bar.

"N-nothing's wrong… really. It's just, a-all those strange creatures-…"

"They scare you?" Naruto finished when she suddenly stopped speaking. She nodded solemnly. He wrapped his left arm around her and pulled her closer, bringing their hips together, trying to comfort her with physical contact, something he found personally soothing.

Zetsu glanced over at them and narrowed his eyes in a glare. **"Is there something wrong with non-human looking people?"** He asked, his voice dripping with derision.

Hinata blinked her eyes a bit wider and looked over at him shook her head nervously. "N-no, I didn't mean it like t-that, Z-zetsu-san. I just meant that… well, I mean… I…"

"She didn't mean you." Naruto finished for her, sending an icy glare back at the plant-man. Zetsu stared back with an equal expression, Hinata keeping her head down between them. She was about to tell them that she didn't mean anything by it when a waitress approached and asked them for their orders. She was a Twi'lek, with pinkish tinted skin and gratuitous curved in her body. Not only that but her clothing left little to the imagination, but still covered enough to leave any normal male begging for more.

When she asked Zetsu for his order he instantly broke eye contact with Naruto and turned to her. **"Anything with meat, and as raw as possible."** A small, startled "eep" from beside him caused him to turn his head toward the young Hyuuga girl, who was now looking away from him, as if trying to act as if nothing happened.

Zetsu sighed. "Never mind, just cook it a little." For posterity's sake, he probably should try and not eat something that would make other people at his table not want their own meals. Since he was paying for them anyway, he didn't want to completely waste money.

The waitress nodded, noting that Zetsu didn't visibly desire her body, so offering her services to him would probably be a waste of time. _'Some species have different tastes I guess.'_

She turned to the cute blond and nodded to him to order. "Uhh… Well, just some steak or something. And just a little pink in the inside if that's ok." He said while rubbing his neck with his eyes closed, showing off his fox-like facial characteristics. Of course, the woman didn't understand him, so Zetsu had to translate. The only reason Naruto knew what she was asking was because all waiters and waitresses were pretty much the same.

The waitress looked surprised when the boy spoke in a rhythmic, flowing language she'd never heard before. She was about to say something along the lines of "I can't understand you" when the one with two skin colors spoke up for him. She nodded with smile, now understanding, and looked back to the boy._ 'Polite, nervous, pretty handsome, no doubt muscular… Not a bad catch, if he's interested. The language barrier might be a problem, but then, all species know how to have fun anyway.'_

But his eyes weren't on her; they were on the small girl beside him. The girl cleared her throat and simply said, "I'll have the same thing as him please," pointing to the yellow haired teenager. Zetsu, again, translated.

The waitress blinked in surprise, but nodded at them. Looking the girl over, she could see that she was well endowed, in _all_ physical aspects as far as she could see. She nodded to the girl and announced that she would be back soon. As she left she noticed the girl seemingly sink into her seat and curl up next to the boy. Taking one final glance at her, she looked down at her own chest and primped herself up. For a human to outdo a Twi'lek in sex-appeal wasn't impossible, but it was uncommon; it certainly _was_ a feat.

'_Stars, what I'd give for her body, and she doesn't even show it off.'_ She thought with jealousy.

She strode off, going behind the counter and yelled to the kitchen droid the patron's orders, to which it gave an affirmative and went back to its work. Her name was Fa'tri Eltiri. Ever since she was little, she'd always believed herself better than any other female she met. For her to consider herself inferior then another, especially a girl, was definitely something.

Taking one last look over at the boy, she smiled to herself. _'I'm going to get that guy to sleep with me if it kills me.'_ She decided affirmably in her mind before she went off to her other patrons.

A few minutes later Fa'tri came back with their food, placing it correctly in front of those who ordered it and retreated to the back of the diner, but keeping an eye on them.

* * *

Naruto looked at his food, and with a salivating mouth dug into his meat. Hinata took to cutting her food neatly and eating small, dainty bites. Zetsu's food was already bite sized, but there was a lot of it so he simply popped the meat into his mouth bit by bit, swallowing with satisfied sigh.

Hinata noticed this and looked over to her crush. Naruto ate… quite _differently_ than any person she'd seen before. He'd grabbed his food with both hands and bit in deeply, his canines (which she'd just now noticed were well pronounced and sharp as knives) sinking into the juicy steak. Tearing off a big piece, he threw his head back and used gravity to help force it into his mouth. When he'd succeeded in that, he chewed greatly, taking nearly three minutes to finally reduce the hunk of meat in his mouth into shredded, consumable pieces.

Hinata was slightly estranged by this. When he swallowed with an audible gulp, he tore off another piece of meat and repeated the earlier action. She'd never seen anyone eat like that. At least, no normal person.

"Ano… Naruto-kun…?" She asked.

Naruto ceased his chewing to look at her. She hesitantly spoke, and averted her eyes slightly. "If you don't mind my asking… why are you eating like that?"

Naruto blinked at her. "Whatsh wrong whiph how I eaph?" he asked through a mouthful of food. Hinata looked at him oddly for a moment before saying, "Oh, nothing," and turning back to her own food. Naruto shrugged and went back to his chewing. As he did, Hinata's mind began going through her "realization phase".

'_He never did have someone to tell him how to eat right I guess.' _She took another, more subtle look at her blond guardian, noticing how he looked, almost like a fox when he ate. _'So I suppose that's just how he learned to do it. The Kyuubi probably had something to do with it too.'_ Naturally he did. Merely being inside Naruto gave him certain physical, habitual and personal characteristics that were completely passive. Neither the fox nor his host had control over them; they were just something that was part of him, like breathing.

Turning back to her own food, she was about to continue cutting, when she looked back to Naruto with a curious expression of interest. _'Even so…'_ Naruto _did_ look like he was having fun eating that way. _'I wonder…'_ Feeling slightly adventurous, she placed a hand on his arm, stopping him mid-chew again.

"Whaph iph it, Hinata?" He said, somehow managing to work the T in her name through the food.

"Well… I was kind of wondering… How do you eat like that… exactly?" She said hesitantly. Naruto, curious as to why she was suddenly so interested in his eating habits, simply nodded, not wanting to deny her anything after all.

"Well," he started, trying to figure how to explain something that he just did naturally. "You basically just grab it with both hands and bite a huge chunk out of it. That's all there really is." He said, miming how he did it himself. Hinata looked at him intently, nodding her head in understanding.

Looking down at her own meal, she picked it up with both hands and stared at it for a second, as if unsure of something. Then, opening her mouth wide, she leaned forward and bit down, sinking her k-nines into the succulent meat. Pulling her head back, she managed to tear off a large portion of it, though once she did, she noticed that it didn't all make it in her mouth. Naruto chucked lightly at her. "Hinata, throw you head back." Naruto advised. Hinata looked at him curiously, but did as instructed and threw her head back, using her tongue to pull the meat further into her mouth while simultaneously chewing hard to break the food apart. It was actually a lot harder than Naruto made it look. But even so, when Hinata finally managed to swallow the food, it somehow felt satisfying.

Perhaps it was that because she'd actually had to work to swallow her food that it felt gratifying, or maybe it was just that it was because she was imitating Naruto that made her feel good. Either way, she liked it. She'd never considered that eating in such a… _primal_ way would feel _right._ Yet to her amazement, it felt almost natural to behave that way. A strange sense of joy flooded through her briefly. Somehow, he body and mind accepted this, despite her years and years of proper training. Or perhaps it was because of the training that her mind and body wanted to break away from.

Either way, she liked it, and Naruto was looking quite amused as well. She smiled excitedly and took another bite out of her food. Her fangs weren't as sharp or prominent as Naruto's, but they did their job well enough. She assumed they would eventually develop into a sharper form eventually with more use.

"Now you're getting the hang of it!" Naruto cheered on with a jovial voice as he too went back to ravenously consuming his own food.

Zetsu simply rolled his eyes and shook his head at them. _**'We should just leave them here.'**_ He thought to himself. _'You know we can't do that! We'll get in serious trouble if anything happens to them. Well, at least the Kyuubi kid at least.'_

'_**Idiot, if anything happens to the girl, the Kyuubi brat won't do anything for us.'**_

'_Well, that's true enough…'_ He let it drop, and finished his own meal as the two love birds did the same. Getting up suddenly, he didn't leave them anytime to relax after having eaten. Hinata, since she'd just taken to a new style of eating which required much more energy than she was sued to using, looked at the plant-man surprised. "Come on, we need to head out." He said in his smooth voice.

"Oh come on, we just finished eating. Besides, Hinata looks tired." Naruto said, looking Zetsu right in the eyes. Zetsu simply turned and began walking out.

"**Then carry her.** I'm not waiting up for you two." He replied callously. He was tired of babysitting, and it had only been a few hours! Somehow he knew his next few days, weeks, and maybe months depending on how long Pain wanted him out here, would be extremely taxing on his nerves.

Naruto made to argue, but a soft hand on his silenced him. He looked over to Hinata's pale lavender eyes and seemed to calm. "It's ok Naruto-kun. I'm not _that_ tired yet." She said with a smile. Naruto sighed but nodded, exiting the circular seat and allowing Hinata to slide out after him.

They both walked out after Zetsu, hand in hand, weaving through patrons at the bar and those coming in. Zetsu ducked under the door, and Naruto followed him, keeping Hinata close. Naruto prepared to shield his eyes from the blazing sun, but found only the dark cloudless sky greeting him.

"How long were we in there?" He asked aloud. **"Long enough."** Zetsu replied, his black half facing them and glaring profusely. It was obvious the black side of Zetsu didn't like them very much. He wasn't sure about the white half.

Hinata was plain freaked out by the Akatsuki spy. That would probably explain her constantly tight grip on his hand. Naruto likewise gripped her hand tight, unwilling to let them be separated.

Without another word, Zetsu began heading to the northeast of the city. Naruto looked after him, and then, with a gentle tug, pulled Hinata long with him. But they hadn't gone far when a reddish hand was placed on Naruto's arm.

He turned quickly, ready to attack, but when he saw it was the strangely colored female squid-head from the bar, he relaxed, somewhat. Zetsu seemed to have sensed her and stopped not far from them.

"Can I help you?" Naruto asked in his native language. The Twi'lek looked at him oddly, but said something to him in a language Naruto recognized, but didn't understand. It seemed to be the same one that Zetsu had spoken, and yet different than that which the male squid-head from Jabba's palace spoke in. In fact, it sounded much closer to that which Kyuuto had spoken with.

"**She wants to sleep with you."** Zetsu's voice broke him from his thoughts.

Hinata's hand suddenly went deathly cold and her grip tighter than ever, though slightly slippery from freshly exuded sweat. Her eyes instantly went to Naruto, wide and disbelieving, as if trying to hold onto the hope that he would refuse, but also as if she were worried he'd accept.

Naruto blinked in astonishment. This was the first time anyone had ever expressed interest in him in that way before. He'd always assumed he was somewhat attractive, though since he'd never had fan girls like Sasuke had, or even the rare secretive stare, he'd assumed they were all just scared of him. Though they weren't scared of him for the Kyuubi; not anymore. They were scared of his cold exterior.

Naruto had grown callous over the years to the point that even looking at him in fear would cause his aura to grow icy cold and scare children behind their mother's legs. It got the point where people would avert their gaze when he walked by, even if it was simply looking down at their feet. When they'd heard of his exploits and abilities, they became afraid more of his abilities than the Kyuubi.

He didn't know when exactly the transition had occurred, but he hadn't felt like anything had changed. It was all the same. But then, it was probably a good thing nothing had changed; Hinata still cared for him despite his appearance and atmosphere.

He blinked again as his train of thought cut off abruptly. Shaking his head to clear it, the squid-headed woman was still standing there, in a pose that Naruto assumed was being used in an attempt to turn him on.

He felt himself heat up slightly from the offer, as he'd never had to (and never thought he'd have to) deal with this kind of situation. But he couldn't accept.

There were many reasons why; One, first and foremost, it would break Hinata's heart, and that was not something he was willing to do, not now, not ever. Second, he didn't even know the girl. Thirdly, he simply wasn't ready for _that_ yet.

Placing an arm behind his head and with a nervous Naruto-smile, he apologized and said, "Sorry, but while I kinda appreciate the offer, I can't do that."

Zetsu translated. The woman's eyes looked somewhat hurt, offended, and angry that she'd been refused.

Hinata's grip began to warm and loosen as she heard Naruto say those words, her breath that she didn't even know she was holding released in a relived sigh.

The woman looked down to see their hands held together and her eyes suddenly lit up. Speaking again quickly, she pointed to Hinata. Naruto looked to Zetsu for an explanation.

"She says that she'll pleasure your girlfriend too." He translated, rather loosely. Naruto's eyes widened immensely and he looked over to Hinata, who's eyes were wide, and her face dark with a blush, emphasized even more in the darkness of post-dusk.

Naruto continued to look at her for a moment. He didn't really want to agree with the woman, but if Hinata wanted to, then he would do it. Hinata seemed to pick up on his thoughts, to which she shook her head "no", attempting to hide her face while still holding onto her top.

Naruto sighed slightly in relief. Turning back to the woman, he bowed slightly in respect. "I'm sorry, but we have to refuse."

Zetsu, again, translated. The woman seemed taken aback when he'd finished. She approached the blond and placed a slender hand on his chest, saying something else.

"Are you sure? Absolutely _positive?_" The Akatsuki translated. As he said those word, the woman softly traced down his chest and to his abs, at which point she pressed a tad harder.

Naruto nodded, trying to push himself away from the woman. "I'm absolutely, one-hundred percent positive. I'm sorry, but it's a no."

Zetsu, quite tired of this charade, translated again, in a tone that was probably more exasperated than he had intended. Naruto turned to leave as soon as Zetsu finished, pulling Hinata along with him.

The sudden feeling of the woman's hand reaching around and grabbing his manhood through his pants, firmly, but not hard, came as a shock to the blond shinobi, who stiffened in surprise. She said something again, this time very low and soothing, or at least he assumed it was.

"She doesn't think you are." Zetsu said, growing suddenly interested in the boy's predicament.

Naruto didn't move, and Hinata was equally as shocked, and didn't know what to do. The woman, sensing a bit of hesitation left, slowly let her hand slide beneath the rim of his pants. But just as she was about to go further, he world spun around her and in a flash she was on the ground facing the sky. Before she could take another breath, a sharp pain erupted from her jaw. Instantly placing a hand on it in surprise, she looked up to see Naruto's arm outstretched, half a fist formed in it, and his eyes shielded by the darkness.

"**Do that again, and I swear you'll die tonight."** The voice was deep and threatening, not at all like what the human's voice sounded like a moment before. That, and he spoke in a Basic, when he'd previously been using a translator, staggered her. An immense chill crept down her spine, and the hairs on her skin stood on end as he stepped toward her. She felt herself be picked up by the shirt and held at what she assumed must have been eyelevel.

It was then that she saw them; the twin crimson orbs or a predator. She'd been wrong. This was no human.

This must have been some sort of predatory near-human with deep ties to a mate, which she now guessed correctly was the dark haired girl. It was a mistake, she now realized, to make _any_ kind of advancement on this person. Instantly, she felt regret cling to her soul.

With a grunt, he tossed her away like a ragdoll, letting her fall to the cold, uncaring, packed sand. With a terrified face, she clambered to her feet and scrambled away from them.

Naruto, or should we say, Kyuuto, turned back to his companions, but mostly facing Hinata. **"I'm sorry. I should have been more forceful wit**h her." He said as Kyuuto returned to Naruto. Hinata however, wasn't registering all of what he said and how he said it. She was still in a semi-daze from having seen her Naruto almost (as far as she could tell) be seduced by some complete stranger and, pardon her language, _whore_.

Naruto of course meant that he should have been more forceful in punishing her for trying to get between himself and his love. Hinata didn't quite catch his tone, and thought he meant in resisting her. But as she locked eyes with him, she could literally see the fury emanating from them.

Naruto was almost literally seething in rage; what that girl did was unacceptable, on so mnay different levels. Gripping Hinata's hand tight (which he had not once released since leaving the bar), he pulled her along forcefully, but gently toward Zetsu.

"Let's move." He said, indicating Zetsu to continue on.

Zetsu grinned and turned, guiding them back to the spaceport.

* * *

"_So how'd it go?"_

Came Lethal's overly innocently inquiring voice over the com line.

"_I don't want to talk about it."_ Lister said as he returned in his pod, floating in space.

"_That bad, huh?"_ Krandor asked, watching from a way's away, orbiting the Pilot Owned Station (or POS) and occasionally passing by Lethal, who's powerful command ship lazily floated beside the ship maintenance array.

"_Let's just say our ships aren't made to handle high-speed travel."_ Black Lister said, cringing at the remembrance of the recent event. Swapping his Myrmidon Battlecruiser out for a throw-away frigate with a prototype hyperspace generator on it, he'd been assigned to give the module a test-flight. It ended in a fiery explosion.

"_Well, as soon as I got above seventy AU a second, the ship kind of rattled apart."_ Lister recounted.

"_Oh dear, that means where going to need stronger materials… We'll get our engineers studying the hulls of the ships we've destroyed so far and see what supports them."_

It had only been a short range test. Fly to the next system and come back. Using data left over from the unknown ship's navigational computers, they'd suddenly found a map of the entire galaxy they were now guests in. Unfortunately, it was all in a different language, and so was impossible to translate. However, the data itself, as far as distance, orbit details, and direction were all easily readable, as they were pure data, and could be fit into their own navi-computers.

So while he'd been able to lock onto the next solar system, the ship had been destroyed long before he reached it. And then it had taken him _forever_ to pod-jump back to the POS; pods weren't mean to travel fast, son he'd been forced to slowly warp the two hundred and thirty AU back.

"_Go ahead and undock my Myrm. I'm almost back."_

His pod slowly slid out of warp just in time to see his ship jettisoned from the Hanger Array. He instantly set his pod's destination to the pod-bay of the giant construct, and relaxed as it slipped inside the narrow entryway, and it sealed behind him. He reveled in the sensation of his mind linking with the ship of war, and as its shield became his skin, its armor his muscles, and its structure his bones. It was impossible to replicate the euphoria a Capsuleer felt when connecting his or her mentality with their ship. It was as if you became more that yourself, somehow, as if humanity, both the reference to morality and its physical self meant nothing anymore, and that you had perhaps surpassed your natural limits.

Either way, he enjoyed it immensely. As his senses came back, he felt the Kora's mind link with his own. "It's good to have you back captain." She said over the ship's private intercom.

His electronic, fabricated image gave her a nod of both recognition and agreement. She sat at her desk, filled with monitors and keyboards, torrents of data pouring out before her. On one such panel was Black Lister's fake-face. "It's good to be back. The next time Lethal wants to test something, he can have Sanjei do it. Maybe Reneden…"

_"Awww, did little Lister wet his pants again? Ok guys, that's it, we can't have Lister doing these things anymore; he a wussy."_ Lethal said, taunting him jovially.

"I refuse to acknowledge or accept that comment." Lister shot back.

The channel lit up with laughter from other corp mates as they broke from their silence.

"_I need to start recording these things man!"_ Came one voice.

"_It just get's funnier every time!" _Said another.

The whole channel began chattering, the ice having been broken and their spirits slightly lifted. Black Lister wasn't a scientist, so he couldn't help with analyzing the foreign materials salvaged from the unknown ships. All he could do was watch and wait. He preferred to shoot things, but the asteroid belts were absent their usual, expected threats that Lister had grown accustomed to. Most asteroid belts in New Eden were occasionally populated by a pirate or two who's bounty made them worthwhile waiting for. In this wormhole-space, all of the asteroid belts near the lone planet were empty of threats but full of precious metals. They had yet to begin mining operations though, but in a week's time would begin their industry in earnest.

Black hated industry, and though those who could do it saved themselves tons of money by making their own equipment and by selling it to those who need it. Unfortunately, Lister had tried it for a while, but simply couldn't be bothered to take the time to learn the skills or take the time to mine (which was necessary for industry oriented pilots).

Onyx had quite a few, after all being called Onyx Heavy _Industries_ wasn't just for kicks, but Black Lister was far more combat oriented. He loved the excitement of watching his overview fill up with targets, and then with glee see them explode in a bright azure explosion.

Speaking of overviews, he blinked in surprise, and then narrowed them I frustration as his began fizzling with slight static. "Damn it, my overview's bugged again. According to it, Lethal is actually a moon, the planet is in our fleet and the POS is actually the sun."

"_Just refresh it; it should work fine." _Came Apollos' voice.

"Yeah just give me a minute." Lister responded before closing the link and activating the ship's intercom.. "Attention all crew, ship refresh and calibration sequence initiated, estimated time to completion, six minutes. Please remain calm and stay at your station, emergency backup systems are also going offline for refresh. I repeat: estimated time is six minutes."

With that, and with a thought, he began the ship refresh command system. One by one, the ship's systems were shut down, scanned, and recalibrated. Without the ship's systems to work as his body, one would think he would be plunged into darkness. Quite the opposite, actually.

Black Lister had long foreseen an attempt on his life while in his now easily accessible pod. While not exactly something to fuss over, considering he would simply be cloned into a new body, he had far too much pride to risk such an event. Not to mention the cost of upgrading a new clone which would cost several million.

Because of this, he'd had multi-vision cameras installed around the outer-pod area to allow him sight of the area around his protective capsule, powered by what little backup energy the ship had. The fact that his body _was_ the ship allowed him to see from every camera simultaneously. The experience of seeing multiple things from different angles was impossible to describe to any non-pod pilot.

But as the camera's came to life in the void blackness (save for one barely lit red light above the pod-chamber door), he caught sight of Kora standing in front of the pod itself, and placed her hand up to the black dead metal.

If the ship had eyes, he would have narrowed them; as it was, the camera's zoomed in. He was sure she didn't know she was being watched.

It seemed as if she were trying to hear a heartbeat within the dead metal. As he continued to watch, unbeknownst to her, she placed her other hand on the pod metal and leaned her head up next to it. Her eyes were closed and her face calm ad serene, almost as if that position gave her a sense of peace and relief. He heard an audible sigh escape her lips as she leaned into the metal before pulling away gently. She stared, almost longingly it seemed, at the dark mass of lifeless material between her and him, with a face he had never quite seen expressed so cleanly before; her eyes were sad, and her facial muscles were relaxed. Her lips were closed, but also relaxed; not quite tense.

He couldn't define the emotion. It looked almost like she was sad, longing, and at peace all at the same time.

A small chime interrupted his observation. A small alert trickled into his brain indicating the systems check and defragmentation was complete. He was about to power the ship back up, but he thought about it for a moment. He activated only one system; the intercom. "Attention all crew members. Systems refresh is complete. Standby for reactivation and systems reports." He normally wouldn't have said anything, but he wanted to see her reaction.

He didn't regret it. To his utter amusement, Kora hastily returned to her station and plugged in, sitting in such a way that he would normally have never assumed she'd done anything. _'Inconspicuous as possible eh? Ok, two can play at this game.'_

One by one, he reactivated the ship systems and modules. Lights and electronics hummed to life and the crew felt themselves relax, but also a small wave of excitement entered them. There _were_ emergency lights in every room and hallway of the ship, but it didn't help anyone really, which had led to a few nasty surprises on several occasions when crew members were found making love to each other in the darkness, thinking they were safe from sight and sense. Naturally, the other crew members respected their privacy. And that of course meant that pictures and videos of them spread like wildfire.

BL didn't care. He let his crew buy whatever they wanted at stations, whether it be pornographic holo-vids, or whatever, so he didn't mind the embarrassment a few of his crew were put through. It would teach them to save it for later and do their jobs now.

One by one the systems returned to their pseudo-life, and one by one, the levels of the ship glowed with renewed power. But as Lister's senses returned with them, the world outside was a far less peaceful place.

Black Lister watched in surprise as the overview and corporation talk channels returned and began buzzing with activity. Instantly red tics appeared in his vision as his ship registered hostiles; hundreds of them blotted out the horizon that was the star-field. Torrens of red beams of energy lanced their way through space and impacted on the hulls of nearby ships.

Lister was slightly overwhelmed. "What the hell's going on?" He shouted over the channel.

"_Lister! Get your ass in fleet now!"_ Lethal's commanding voice called out to him.

"I leave for _ten minutes_ and everything goes to pot." He grumbled to himself. Instantly a fleet invitation alert popped up and he accepted it without hesitation. All around him, the icons of friendly shops turned purple, indicating they were fleet members.

"How are defenses holding up?" he asked worriedly. All of the ships in the fleet were crowded in the shield of the POS. Unfortunately, they hadn't had time to arm the POS with weapons or utility modules, meaning they were now in a bubble of energy that was possibly ready to collapse at any moment.

Krandor, a long-time friend of the corporation, reassured him. _"Don't worry the shield will hold up for a little while. We're just waiting for you to show up; better to have more members on for the push."_

Lister looked around. There were nearly seventy ships surrounding him. Many of them were Battleships and Command ships. Command ships were a powerful, next generation (commonly called Tech Two) vehicle that had massive combat capabilities. Others were in Battlecruisers, a step below battleships, but still capable of dealing massive amounts of damage, and take it in. The most commonly used Battle cruiser was the Drake. A ship of Caldari origins, meaning it had heavy shields and lots of missiles, though in this fleet, the second most popular ship was Lister's, the Myrmidon. It was a ship capable of heavy shields, just like the Drake (despite being made for armor defenses) and whose primary damage came in the form of unmanned combat drones.

A quintet of artillery cannons doesn't hurt either. _"Alright, everyone's here. Everyone align to the hostiles at speed. Drakes and heavy tanks up front. As soon as you're out of the shield you'll be targeted first."_

"_Roger."_

"_Standby logistics. As soon as we've pulled aggression, you guys go ahead and tend to the wounded ships."_

"_Roger, standing by."_

"_Pennywise, you ready?"_

"_I'm standing by."_ Came a new voice. Lister's eyes widened. There could only be one reason "Penny" (a man for those of you who are wondering) would be standing by.

"_Alright ladies and gentlemen, let's get jiggy."_

**(Twisted Transistor – Korn)**

And one by one, the Battleships, Command ships, and Battlecruisers lurched forward. The exhaust of their ion drives burning against the heat shields of the ship behind them. Two Command ships, a Nighthawk and an Astarte, the first of Caldari Origins and the second of Gallente (Both easily one of the toughest ships of their size), emerged from the bubble first, and were instantly assaulted by red lights of energy. Lethal's Nighthawk's missile bays opened up, revealing the immense mass of missiles sleeping within. The massive 250mm rail guns of the Astarte lazily oriented on the approaching targets. The next ship to exit was a massive Amarr-made Abaddon Battleship, its next generation Tachyon beam lasers already powering up with powerful _"Aurora"_ frequency crystals, the ammunition of any Amarr weapon.

One by one the massive hulks of human creation lumbered out to the field of battle, and one by one their weapons, loaded and aimed, unleashed their unholy fury.

The Abaddon's first salvo resounded through space, as its massive red beams of energy tore through space and instantly vaporized a small frigate's hull and destroyed it. As if the signal for Hell to be unleashed, every ship's weapons fired; lances of energy, interlaced with missile trails and bursts of light crisscrossed the empty oblivion. One by one the opposing ships were destroyed.

Then the big ships came. On Lister's screen, they were designated as "Battleship class" and an icon was placed on them to show they were such. His whole body trembled with each firing of his 650mm cannons and they unleashed round after round of phased plasma into the enemy ships.

His camera drones caught movement in their lenses and he zoomed in on it. Fighters. Hundreds, maybe thousands of them, swooping in to engage. "If you have light drones, use them on the incoming fighters. If you don't, keep what you have on the primary target." He ordered to the fleet.

All around him green icons that indicated drones swarmed around their ships as the fighters came into range. And one by one the drones blasted forward to meet them. And did they meet.

Pinpricks of explosions filled the gap between the two fleets, as they burst to life from the death of their runners. _'Poetic really.'_

Hobgoblin-class drones were one of the best you could get, and every one of them was "tech two." And when they weren't Hobgoblins, they were Warriors, the fastest of all drones. The unmanned vessels twisted and spun in between the massive kill-ball, firing relentlessly at their targets. Unfortunately, they were so small in comparison to the fighters that they were difficult to hit. That isn't to say they weren't impossible to hit. Even though they were small and shielded (an impossibility on machines that size they would come to learn), there was the frequent burst of light, and a drone would disappear from someone's overview.

Lister had to say, as he watched the levels of allied ships shields and hull, the weapons of the enemy were almost like a bastardized laser/rail gun. And they hurt like Hell. He was already at half shields and had both of his shield "hardeners" activated. Really all they did was dissipate incoming thermal, kinetic, explosive, and electromagnetic energy. And thankfully his shields were recharging at a fast enough rate to remain level at the halfway mark.

Nearby an allied ship vanished in a mini-nova of a blue explosion. The rest of the fleet was holding up, but every few ships were extremely low on structure or shields, and that spelled immanent doom for the crew.

Not the pilot of course; he'd survive.

'_Let's hope it doesn't get worse than this.'_ He thought grimly as more death and destruction rained around him.

"Commander! All fighter squadrons are reporting heavy casualties and are requesting a retreat back to their hangers for repairs and restructuring." The Vagaari reported. The commander, a large person by Vagaari standards, turned and pointed a finger at him. "Order them to do so if, and _only_ if they have received structural damage. How are our shields doing?" Both mouths clenched their teeth, more out of habit than worry. He wasn't afraid of losing this battle, though he had to admit, he had never seen ships _or_ weapons like these before.

But they were both so different in design that it didn't look like it all belonged to a single faction. _'They could possibly be a small pirate faction.'_ He mused. There were plenty of those, even in the Unknown Regions. But to have stationed a small outpost directly between the Chiss and themselves without being noticed by either, a feat in and of itself due to constant patrols, was simply mind boggling.

He tried to wrap his mind around any of the possibilities, but he simply couldn't. He was brought out of his thoughts by the ship shuddering under blows. Sparing a glance at the equipment around him, he was pleased to know their shields were holding.

"Sir, another enemy ship's shields have fallen. It's a big one too sir." A young Vagaari officer reported from his station.

"Good, concentrate on that ship until it's destroyed." He ordered. One by one, the guns of the fleet rotated to target the massive gold ship. Even as deadly light streaked across to meet it, its own guns continued to fire endlessly, shredding any ship smaller than cruiser in single blasts. But it was minutes later that the commander realized something. "Why is that ship still in space? It should be destroyed by now."

"Scans indicate the armor seems to be… _regenerating_ sir. Everything our guns damage is repaired within a minute or two." The commander's eyes narrowed. _'Regenerating armor, huh? I've only heard about ships like that. Now I see why they're so powerful.'_

"Alright, next target then…"

And so they continued.

"Reneden, how're you holding up?" Lister asked to the Abaddon pilot. Several logistics pilots were rushing to his aid with armor transfer arrays, helping to accelerate the regeneration of the ship's armor. Reneden was a rather talkative character who, naturally, was quite friendly. Lister had to admit that while he may have talked a bit _too_ much, he did enjoy the commentary.

"_Yeah, I'm fine now. I think. They don't appear to be shooting at me anymore; that's a good thing."_

Nearby, a Caldari Caracal cruiser flashed into oblivion.

"They're going after the smaller guys. Anyone in cruisers or below be extremely careful. They're aiming for you."

"_No worries guys, this won't take much longer."_ Lethal's reassuring tone sounded out.

"_Not much longer at all."_ Came another voice. It was Pennywise.

"_You ready Penny?"_ Lethal asked.

"_I've been ready for the past ten minutes you imbecile."_

"_Hehe, well then get your ass down here and join the fun."_

"_Roger, jumping in."_

"Sir! Enemy inbound! Its huge sir!" Screamed a Vagaari youth.

"Calm down lieutenant! What's coming?" His question was answered by a massive form sliding out of hyperspace in nearly eclipsing the sun behind it. It was massive, and flat. It tripled the size of any ship in their fleet (the Vagaari weren't known for their capital ships)!

And even as he unconsciously called for information on the vessel, he could tell from the numerous landing lights blinking on the dorsal side of the ship that this ship was a carrier.

Dozens of fighters roared from the hanger within, streaking out with immense speed toward his fleet.

But he soon realized that they weren't the greatest threat to them. No, it was in fact that cluster of missiles heading straight for the bridge of his ship. He snarled in defiance, as if it would somehow allow him to live after the impact. It was unfortunate that he did not.

"_Enemy fleet has broken formation and is dispersing."_

"_Don't let them escape. Tacklers away."_ From behind the numerous ships of the ONYX fleet, came many frigate sized vessels that burned for the retreating armada. Their job was simple; use their warp disrupting equipment to keep the enemy vessels from escaping. Of course, warp disruption was quite different than hyperspace distortion in theory, but the application was the same. If it worked, fine, if it didn't, oh well.

And it did appear as though it wouldn't work. One by one the limping ships vanished into space, exhaust and flames trailing behind. But among the wreckage of both fleets, the small band of Capsuleers found their spoils.

"_All righty folks, since the enemies turned tail and ran, it's up to use to salvage their pitiful remains." _

Affirmations abounded as those in smaller ships docked up at the POS to refit or change ships for salvaging. There would be no wreckage left to show this battle even took place. _"Alright, while they're doing that, if you lost a ship, please send me the information on what ship It was and if you'll be fine without it."_ Lethal demanded as a dozen destroyers (only slightly larger than frigates) made their way back out to the battlefield. One by one reports trickled in regarding friendly casualties.

It was fortunate that no one was "podded," or shot while in their pod (that protected their powerless bodies) and forced to be cloned back in Empire space, back on the other side of the wormhole. Lethal was pleased, but less than he could have been. The losses were light, with the loss nearly twelve cruisers, three battlecruisers, two battleships, and a decent amount of drones. But they were simply against a small fleet. There would surely be more.

"_Alright guys, go about your normal schedules, if you have one. I'm going to get started on building replacements for those who lost something. The rest of you stay on alert."_

"_However, you guys…"_ Lister noted that Lethal had now switched to a private communication with him and a few select others who were longtime members of the corporation. _"…I don't think we can take more assaults like this. Sure we did well this time, but neither side knew what we were facing. A few battleships, battlecruisers and a carrier aren't going to cut it. I'm going to contact the alliance and request more help. I know we wanted to keep this under wraps, but we're going to need much more supplies to do this. In the mean time, I'd like you who can to start belt and moon mining operations, ratting roams and guard patrols. Lister, I know you have a CovOps, and Kuro you too; in fact most of us here should have one, so if you'd start scanning things out that would be appreciated."_

Covert Operations ships were small, frigate sized ships that had intense scanning abilities, and had the singular ability to cloak themselves. With the right modules of course.

"_Anyway, I'll be in the Director's channel if you need me."_

After a round of confirmations, Lister watched the indicator that Lethal had left their channel pop up on his display. And as he went about his business, as ordered, he cast a sparing glance at the chat channel setup for the alliance.

The alliance named Akatsuki.

* * *

**A/N: Well, I did enjoy making this chapter ever so much! It took me forever, I know, but its the price you pay for going to school. I hope you liked it a lot! Anyway, review if you would, it is much appreciated; nice, looooooong reviews :D **

**Till next time!**


	8. Chapter 8: Ripples

**A/N: Hey guys! After rereading the last few chapters a few times, I realized I'm describing EVE in the way I experience the game, rather than the way it appears in the books. Because I want this to be more epic than just repeating things from a game, I'm switching things up a bit. I will now be similar to the style expressed in EVE: Empyrean Age and EVE: The Burning Life. In a way, things will be more realistic and you'll be able to think of it in a Star Wars-ish mentality. Oh, and on my profile, I put the link to EVE wikipedia, so you will be able to see, roughly, what each ship is. Just search it!**

Kage Bijuu, zzxxphaser, Frostius, marc, DBZLOVER, Freehawk, algebraiya, omega5, georgeofthecity, Eipok, zentary, redhrard, mf, **and** shadowassassian **for their reviews, even if over half of them were anonymous... Oh well, what can you do? **

Omega5: **regarding your review, your not _quite_ right in your asumption, but you'll see why later on.**

zzxxphaser **&** shadowassassian: **No, its not future and** **past like what you're thinking. These are two different worlds in the same timeline. Wormholes... gatta love 'em.**

**Also, some of you have been knocking on EVE, saying that it doesn't seem to fit. Well, actualy it will. Believe me, I don't just add random things without thinking how they will affect the story. EVE will play a critical role in this fic, and I do mean _critical._ **

**I hope you guys like this chapter! Read and review fellas, you know the drill!**

**P.S. Its best that you listen to the music I suggest for full appreciation of the scene taking place. Any similar music will do, but I think mine's better :P**

**BEGIN READING!**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Ripples**

The room was large, but with rugs, plants, and paintings to soak up any potential echo that might resound. One side of the room, near the entrance, had a bar with a female bartender manning it. On the other side of the room was a panoramic view of space, with the windows stretching from the floor to the ceiling revealing the calm sea-green nebulous background, with rays of the orange sun peaking around one corner of the pane. It was a lavish boardroom, as far as boardrooms actually went.

One interesting feature was, off to the side, a rock waterfall that spilled into a pool of clear blue liquid. But the interesting thing about it was that there were no walls to contain the water. Instead, acute and precise tractor beams held the water suspended in a tank-like fashion. One could literally walk right into it and swim, which due to its size allowed for the occasional pool party. But right now only vibrant fish swam inside, their colors flickering from cool blue hues that made them blend into the water to scorching yellow-orange that made the stand out like a flashlight in the night.

Within the room sat eight figures, each situated in a seat around a large wood table. It was obviously very expensive, since it was solid wood, not just metal with a wood covering, and wood was not a common object found in space stations. Behind each figure was a holographic banner that designated them as part of their separate, but unified organizations. Each person was middle aged, aside for the young woman who sat at one end of the table. The conversations buzzed about the room in murmured, but not quite hushed tones.

Though it seemed like the meeting was casual and proper, only a close friend would know that the air was saturated with anxiety. Finally, a man on the opposite end cleared his throat. "I believe that's enough socialization. If you gentlemen don't mind…" he glanced about the table before seeing the female eyeing him skeptically. "…_and_ lady…" The woman smiled and nodded her thanks. "…we can begin."

The table's residents nodded their heads in agreement. "Alright, since we're all far too familiar with one another to beat around the bush, why don't we get straight to the subject at hand?" Another round of nods.

"As we all know, Onyx Heavy Industries has begun shifting to wormhole operations and exploration. Recently however, their wormhole explorations have paid off in an unusual way." He paused and brought up a file on the holo-screen in front of him. "According to Lethal's report, this wormhole has strange anomalies, and powerful enemies within."

"And they need our help." Interjected the CEO of Lights-Out, Ector Aranous, also known as Switch. Lights-Out was a shadier corporation that was a member of Akatsuki Alliance. He was a young looking middle aged man with a scar running from above his right eyebrow down to his chin. He wore all black, including black leather gloves that were rarely absent from his hands.

"Correct. According to the report, this wormhole does not contain Sleepers. Instead it contains, according to the report 'hundreds of unknown hostiles.' It continues to say that further assaults won't be able to be repelled. If these stats are right, and I hope they are, we lose one ship for every three of theirs. Granted they were mostly cruisers and the occasional battlecruiser, but that's still a feat."

One of the men on the opposite end of the table, by the woman fidgeted slightly. "Do we have visuals of these hostiles?"

The primary speaker, whose name was Jonathan Yuron, alias Empowered, CEO of Master-Ships nodded and tapped a few select keys on the keyboard in front of him. A holo-projector in the middle of the table hummed to life as it projected a 2-D image onto the ceiling. The image started moving and displayed the battle that had taken place. They all watched in interest at the enemy ships.

"Like Sleepers, they don't use shields, but rather living creatures as prisoners. Strapping them into a bubble on the outside of the ship would keep many normal pilots from shooting I suppose-"

"-but not us capsuleers." Interjected the CEO of Ballistix Corporation, Joron Thurston, also known as Radial. There was a round of murmured chuckles from the table.

"Lethal was supposed to be here John. Where is he?" Came the female's voice again. Her name was Rayta Werdin, CEO of Vertigo.

"That's a very good question." He said looking at his watch. "Wonder if he's busy with another fight…" He said with a shrug.

As soon as he did, the holo-projector flared and replaced the recorded battle with the face of Lethal, CEO of Onyx Heavy Industries. "Sorry I'm late all."

"Your about… seven minutes late Alen." John said mock admonishingly.

Alen, Lethal, nodded and rubbed the back of his head. "What can I say? It happens. So what'd I miss?"

John looked back down at his screen. "Nothing actually. We were just about to see what kind of help we could send."

"The whole alliance." Came a raspy voice in the back of the room. The entirety of the room's occupants turned, hands reaching for concealed weapons. Automated turrets slid down from the ceiling and oriented on the cloaked figure.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?" Asked the CEO of Krane Research, Zeke Thran, also known as Crypt, as he pointed his gun at the figure. The figure, to its credit, didn't flinch or shrink away.

"I'm one you should know of, and yet should never have seen." He said cryptically.

"Are you the Broker?" Asked Rayta, referring to the infamous, infinitely deep-pocketed man who seemed to be behind every calamity in New Eden. There were Rumors that he helped Tibus Heth invade the Gallente Federation and take control of the Caldari State. But they were never confirmed.

The man stepped forward slowly. "I'm not."

"Then who are you?" Asked Dresdin Hrustic, CEO of United Keepers Corp.

The man stepped further into the light. He wore a black robe with the alliance insignia on it; a red cloud with a silver lining. His face was hidden by the hood of the cloak, but he quickly removed it. Beneath it was the scariest thing you could meet in a dark alley. His face was full of piercings; he had multiple piercings, including a diagonal bar through his nose, two circular studs in a vertical row on each of his cheeks, two studs placed horizontally on his chin, and a stud on each of its shoulders near his neck. He had long, loose orange hair.

"My name is Pain; CEO Red Sun Rising, and founder of the Akatsuki alliance."

At this the whole room furrowed their brows. "The CEO of Red Sun Rising died six months ago. His clone was botched and the transplant failed." Stated Yoma Yun, CEO of Gray Space Technologies.

"So it did. Along my other jump clones, save one. _This_ one." Pain answered.

"Even if we did buy your story, we would have no way of confirming who you are since the CEO of RSR always had a step in for meetings and censor for live calls. Give us some sort of proof that you are who you say you are." Jonathan stated skeptically. No one had ever actually _seen_ the CEO of Red Sun Rising, the founding corporation of Akatsuki. He liked his privacy. However, six months ago he had been report to have been killed, along with dozens of key members within the corporation.

The only way to kill a capsuleer, for sure, is by killing them, and then destroying their clone right as it awakens from cryosleep. Then, without a new clone to go to, they simply die; just like all the rest of humanity.

This was the process by which RSR had lost the majority of their most prominent members. The perpetrators had never been caught.

"Proof you say? I suppose it's only natural for you to be distrusting." Pain said without batting an eye. "Humans are naturally distrusting of each other after all."

Pain brought his head up and thought of some proof. "Three years ago, at the Battle of Isikemi, you fought against Mercenous. Back then you were only a small group of two corporations. Despite being larger than the both of you, you met at Isikemi and fought. When things went bad, you fled to regroup. Where was it you fled to? It was a deadspace pocket."

Deadspaces were natural anomalies that disrupted warp nearby and were nearly unscannable. Much like mass shadows.

"But how did you get those coordinates? After all, deadspace pockets are difficult to find, and to have found one at the right place at the right time seems a bit farfetched."

"Where are you going with this?"

"That was an RSR facility. The Isikemi complex was set up by us. That pocket was your ace, allowing you to regroup for a final push to force them out of your space. The coordinates were transmitted to the two CEOs by an anonymous member of the alliance. Only the CEOs at the time, and the man who transmitted it would have them."

"I am that person." He said finally as he tossed a datapad to Jonathan. Jonathan looked at it curiously before activating it and looking through the bookmarks stored within. Carefully placing his weapon down on the table, he pulled out his own datapad and flipped through its bookmarks. Finally, he stopped searching and looked back to Pain with speculative eyes.

Turning his head to the side slightly so those around him could hear, he said, "Its legit. They're the same."

Slowly, one by one, each of the CEOs lowered their weapons and holstered them. Pain simply walked forward to the front of the table and sat down, encouraging the others to do the same.

After a few quiet murmurs, they did so. When they'd all sat down, Jonathan folded his hands in front of him and directed his gaze toward Pain. "So, what is it you want us to do exactly?"

Pain leveled his gaze at the entirety of the rooms occupants, save the bartender. "Move the whole of Akatsuki into that wormhole."

Zeke, who'd been drinking from a bottle of beer leaned forward and spewed across the table, coughing violently in the process.

"Surely you must be joking." Alen stated, though it almost sounded like a plea. He appreciated any help that was he could get, but the whole alliance?

"I'm completely serious. And don't call me Shirley."

"That wormhole will collapse as soon as we send even six freighters in! How the hell are we supposed to move the entire alliance into it?" Joron Thurston asked; CEO of Balistix.

"The answer lies in the stabilization of that wormhole."

"But we don't have that kind of technology! It hasn't existed since the fall of EVE!"

EVE was the name of the wormhole discovered thousands of years ago by the progenitors of New Eden's inhabitants. Having run their own galaxy into the ground with wars and resource hoarding, the wormhole offered an escape. Those forerunners, known commonly as the Terrans, sent out millions of ships through the gate, after having stabilized it with far advanced technology. And in those ships lay the burning hope of new life and fresh beginnings. Unfortunately, EVE collapsed after several hundred years, cutting off the young colonies from their motherland.

"Your right. It hasn't existed since the fall of EVE. That is, until seven months ago."

The room fell silent at those words. Pain simply stood and began walking out of the room. "I won't bore you with the details. I expect these orders to be obeyed. Inform your respective corporations. Were packing up and moving out. Advance forces are to be in that wormhole within the week. The whole alliance…" he walked up to the door as it opened for him. "…within the month."

He didn't turn to see their open mouths before the door closed behind him. "And this meeting never happened."

* * *

Naruto and Hinata followed Zetsu to the spaceport in silence, Naruto still brooding over that whore molesting him earlier. Zetsu walked inside and through the winding passageways, being careful not to lose his two tails. Finally he came to a stop at a rusty looking door that slid open at his presence. He stepped inside, beckoning the two shinobi to follow him. Once through, Hinata and Naruto looked in curiosity at the metal construct before them.

It was angular, and symmetrical. It was a dusty white, with scorch marks along its outer layer. It was traced by red stripes and outlines that had dulled with time to look almost like blood spatters. The front of the object had a silver grate-like thing, and above that was a curved, rotating radar dish. He knew only what it was because he'd seen radar dishes used for international calls to the feudal lords. It sat on two large red skids.

(It's a B-7 Loronar light freighter.)

Zetsu walked up to one side of it and knocked loudly against it. After a few moments the wall hissed and slid down, turning into a ramp. Zetsu walked up and into it without hesitation, leaving Naruto and Hinata to follow him inside warily.

Once in, they both wondered at its complexity and simplicity of design. Zetsu motioned for them to follow him. Turning a corner, he stopped a door and opened it. Turning back to the two teens as they approached, he said, "This will be your room for now. I'd advise you to-"

"HEY!"

The two young teens jumped at the hoarse voice. It came in the form of a ragged, middle aged man with rough features that automatically made Naruto think of a thug.

"**What do you want?" **Zetsu asked sternly.

"You paid for one passenger buddy; you. They better not be on my ship by morning!"

Zetsu gazed him with a bored expression, as if arguing with him was a trivial child's game. "And now I'm paying for three. Don't complain or you won't get paid at all."

"Hey now! This is my ship! You can't just do whatever the hell you want! I'm the captain! Don't forget I don't have to stay here. I can leave any time I want. Remember that!"

"Do that, and you won't get paid a thing. The only reason I'm paying you to stick around is because it would be a pain to find another captain. **You're only here for my convenience. Remember that."**

At that the man growled at the Akatsuki, staring him down until Zetsu's golden eyes forced the man to retreat back to wherever he came from, grumbling obscenities under his breath.

Zetsu stared at his back until he disappeared from sight. Turning back to the confused teens he simply continued from where he left off. "I'd advise you to get some rest. There's food in the bags if you get hungry."

As he turned to leave, Naruto called out to him. "What did he say? That guy…?"

"**Nothing important. **I'll see you later."

And with those final words, he stepped back and tuned to leave. Hinata and Naruto watched after him until he too vanished from their sight. Turning to each other Naruto shrugged and gestured to the open room beside them. They both stepped through.

The door closed with a hiss behind them. Both took a look at the small cabin. It was sparse and white, with dirt smudges on the floor here and there. It contained a bed and two hammocks, both only sized for one person. There were a few duffle bags on the floor, and though neither was hungry, Naruto could smell different foods inside one of them.

"Well… I guess we should get some sleep while we can." He said as he climbed into one of the hammocks. As he did so, Hinata made to speak out, but she only blushed and pressed her fingers together. Naruto had just closed his eyes, his hands crossed behind his head when he heard, or rather _didn't_ hear Hinata move from her place.

Opening an eye, he spied her simply standing there blushing and fidgeting. Furrowing his eyebrows, he opened his other eye and noticed that she was shaking too.

"What's wrong Hinata? You catching a fever?" He said as he got up to check her temperature.

"N-no t-that n-not it…" She said, even as he placed his hand to her forehead.

"Well, you're warm, but I don't think it's a fever." He continued. Gently he took her hands and led her over to the bed and set her down on it. Gently patting the top of her head he turned to go back to his hammock.

Though Naruto couldn't see it, Hinata was in mental torment as her heart so desperately desired to call out to him. Her mind on the other hand refused to let her speak. An unstoppable force met an immovable object; that was for sure. But with a spurt of courage, she managed to suppress her fears and hesitant call out to him.

"N-Naruto, w-wait!"

She said as he was about to lie down again. He turned to her with a mixed expression of worry and curiosity. "Is something wrong?" He asked worriedly.

Hinata fidgeted under his gaze, her face and neck burning red from embarrassment. "W-well, I w-was w-w-wondering i-if y-you would… I-if you w-want to… I-I mean-…" She simply couldn't voice the words now matter how she tried. "…n-never mind…" she mumbled dejectedly.

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows at her. He wanted to press the issue badly, but he decided against it.

"O...k…" He said hesitantly and turned to lie down again.

Just as he was about to actually _lie_ down, her voice squeaked behind him again. "W-would y-y-you like to s-…sl-..."

She shut her eyes, trying to gather as much courage as she could. "…S-s-sleep w-with m-me?"

It came out as a whisper, her voice rising to its highest tone in the process. Her eyes were still closed, her face red with embarrassment and her hands clenched together to the point her knuckles were turning white.

Naruto sat there, blankly. Then the full weight of her request hit him like a ton of bricks, and though his facial expression didn't change, its color did. That glorious crimson hue of embarrassment now adorned both of their faces.

The cabin was deathly silent for a few moments, not even the sound of breathing as Hinata was holding hers and his was caught in his chest. Just when Hinata thought he would refuse, he shook his head and pursed his lips. But there was a small smile thereon.

"I-if that's really what you want then there's no way I can say no." He said as she felt the edge of the bed next to her lower with his weight as he sat by her. His scent assaulted her nostrils like a breeze on a hot spring day.

He reached over and caressed her cheek, to which she slowly opened her eyes and turned to him. "I know how hard it was for you to ask that." He said understandingly. "I'm proud of you."

The smiled that followed was enough to make Hinata swoon over him for eternity. It infected her and caused her to grin slightly. Her eyes softened, knowing she been able to conquer herself, if only slightly.

To Naruto, even though her face was still clearly red from embarrassment, she looked almost at peace. He smiled and brushed a stray strand of hair back over her ear to clear her face. Wrapping a hand around her head, he pulled her close to him and he kissed her forehead. She blushed a little more and retreated into herself a little bit.

He pulled away and unzipped his sweater slipping out of it and dropping it to the floor. Hinata noticed this and realized she hadn't taken her shoes off when she entered the room, a tradition long since abided by all shinobi and civilians in their world. She quickly kicked off her shoes and placed them by the edge of the bed. When she turned back to Naruto his shoes were already off and had just gotten his pants unzipped. He gasp stopped him mid motion. She averted her eyes and turned away quickly when she'd seen him beginning to remove his pants.

He looked at her suddenly when he heard her. "N-Naruto, I-I didn't think y-you were g-going to-…"

Naruto looked at her and then back down at himself before suddenly blushing and rushing to re-fasten his pants. "Oh! S-sorry! I'm just so used to always changing when I need to, I didn't think. Forgive me."

Hinata returned her gaze to him and shook her head. "Y-you don't need to apologize Naruto-kun. It's just I was surprised by it…"

Naruto nodded and proceeded to go over to where he assumed the light switch was. "B-but if you'd be more comfortable without them, t-then that's fine." She said before she realized the words she had been thinking had even escaped her lips. Naruto looked back to her with a shocked expression and she instantly turned her head away in shame.

'_I shouldn't have said that, I shouldn't have said that, I shouldn't have said that…' _She admonished herself in her mind. _'I don't even know if I'm ready for that sort of thing!'_

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked carefully, somewhat startled by her sudden recant. Hinata turned her head back but did not face him. Instead her gaze was held on the floor in front of her.

"I-I know it's stupid for a girl my age to be so shy, and I probably seem childish acting this way, so I-…" She was cut off by Naruto sitting back down again beside her. "It's not childish; I think it's normal for girls your age to act this way, especially for this kind of… situation."

It was a simple problem with a simple solution; if your pants are uncomfortable, don't sleep with them on. But Hinata requested that they sleep together, and Naruto knew how much bravery that took, so he wasn't about to deny her. But at the same time, he didn't want to do anything more than what she was willing to do. That included even the simple action of taking off his pants, even if he was wearing something underneath.

Naruto gave her a soft, comforting smile before getting up and going over to the light switch. The light vanished with a click, and Hinata heard the rustling of cloths, thanking Naruto silently for turning off the lights first. She lay down and rolled over as she heard Naruto approach. Her body was stiff as he climbed on the bed next to her and lay down as well.

He quietly pulled the covers over them both and snuggled up next to her, keeping his pelvis at a safe distance from her rear. He could feel how stiff and un-relaxed her body was, and gently reached over and around her and pulled her closer to him. As soon as he did, he almost regretted it; she was trembling, and he was sure it wasn't from the cold. He instantly felt guilt at the realization that it was his close presence that was causing her such nervousness. But then again, it was also exactly what she needed.

He simply held her tighter as if to say, "It's ok, you don't need to be scared. It's just me." Of course though, it was for that _very_ reason that she was trembling. But even as her nervousness and fear exuded from her body, they Naruto's unique scent wafted over her face, and somehow brought her trembling to an end, as if the air around her were some sort of relaxing agent. Slowly, ever so agonizingly slowly, she settled into his hold and managed to close her eyes. Even as her mind drifted into that peaceful land of dreams and fantasies she barely managed to hear him whisper into her ear, "I love you," and then she was off.

Her breathing slowed and deepened, showing Naruto she was asleep. He smiled and closed his eyes as well, and sleep welcomed him with open arms.

* * *

**(Rock it – Sub Focus)**

The small squad of ships raced through hyperspace, the engines screaming noiselessly in the void of space, as they were pushed to their limits to return home. And return they did. C-Squad slipped out of their faster-than-light travel just in time to be assaulted by a multitude of crimson beams. Immediately they returned fire. A cruiser flashed into oblivion, followed by two of the ships shooting at it. The single battleship with them turned to its port side, firing its massive hybrid cannons at the enemy, each gun destroying or critically maiming a single ship with each blast. Already, the two Caldari ships of the squad, a Caracal and a Drake, released their unholy barrage of missiles, manually overheating the launchers for maximum efficiency. Missile after missile tore from their sockets, burning through space and impacting the unshielded enemy.

Nearly a hundred kilometers away, their temporary home's shields rippled from unrelenting beams of death that streaked towards it. And in front of it loomed the hulking masses of dozens of ships, each one doing everything in their power to defend their home. Another two friendly ships exploded. The four remaining members of C-Squad slowly burned for the main fleet. Across from them, thousands of kilometers away, the enemy fleet massed, threatening the existence of their sanctuary. The unforgiving sun was eclipsed now by the lone planet, leaving only the blossoming explosions in its shadow to show life existed.

But even as ship after unending ship died in a blinding, multi-megaton explosion, ten more took its place. This was an unending siege with no reinforcements.

And they knew it.

Several more patrol groups returned just in time to add their meager firepower to the increasingly crowded no man's land. But it was too little too late. Logistics ships were doing their best to repair what damage they could, but it simply wasn't enough. Waves of shields from special projectors crisscrossed the defending fleet, and small repair drones did their best to seal and patch holes in the hulls of their master's ships. Even so, it simply wouldn't be enough. They could win the battle, but the war would be lost.

Already, the massive carrier's fighter squadrons were fighting their way back to the fleet from the massive kill-ball in between the fleets for repairs. Ships their size could be fixed in a matter of minutes, but in this deadly game of death, a few minutes could be all the other side needed to win. Even the carrier, armored and shielded as it was, was taking damage.

But even so, when the enemy is losing three to one, even if they do outnumber you, they cannot continue to fight a prolonged battle. The enemy fleet admiral obviously knew this, as one by one the foreign ships vanished into hyperspace.

Everyone in Onyx breathed a sigh of relief. Slowly, the collection of ships moved, with the greatest care possible, back into their defended home. Repair drones and workers instantly shuttled their way over to the limping vessels, tending to their injuries. Uncountable nanites crawled across their hulls like the plague, sealing minute fractures in the ship's superstructure.

Inside the hanger, Lethal's ship sat affixed to the docking struts. His transmission had just ended, and it pleased him, somewhat that the entire alliance would their backup. It also bothered him. It was painfully obvious that this wormhole interested alliance leader, but the reason why was a complete mystery. His camera drones swiveled to show the mouth of the hanger, where dozens of ships were shuffling in. He didn't need to zoom in to see how extensive the damage was to each one. Still smoldering scorch marks seared the outside of every hull, and gaping holes in many of the shield dependant ships were being tended to by nearby repair facilities while the crew of those ships were evacuated.

He would have sighed if he could. He watched as more and more crawled in, new ships fighting for increasingly vanishing docking spaces. From his position in the back, he needn't worry too much about getting hit from the racing ships. But of course, there were a few who decided to go straight for the back. One pulled up right next to him, and were it not for the green sheen of the ship, Lethal might not have noticed it at all.

It was Lister in his Myrmidon. But there was one major difference; the entire bottom half of the ship was gone. How he had managed to keep the ship from exploding eluded him, and his comrade's tired voice crackled over the comline. "That's another one down. Must be the third one in four days…"

Lethal "hrmm"-ed to himself. Lister's ship was probably irreparable. One more combat capable vessel down.

_"You alive over there?"_ Lister asked in amusement.

Lethal reiterated his previous grunt and chuckled wearily. "Well, good news is we'll supposedly have reinforcements within the week. Now whether they get here in time is up for grabs."

Lister was silent for a moment before he asked, _"So what do you think?"_

"Honestly? I'd like to lie and say it'll be alright, but this time… I don't know. It's really up to us whether or not we last. We're taking the enemy out three-to-one, but it's not enough. We just gatta hope we're dealing enough significant damage to stop these assaults."

There was silence for a few moments; not an awkward silence, but a pleasant one, in its own way. Lethal examined his friend's craft. Well, what was left of it anyway. "We can't repair your ship Lister. Unless you have another one somewhere, you're going to be sitting out from now on."

Lister responded solemnly, _"Yeah, I figured."_ He knew that would be the case. Even if most of what the ship lost was superficial, it severely weakened the overall structure, meaning once he lost whatever shields he had, he was toast.

Lethal was silent a moment before he finally responded. "So how'd the patrol go?"

_"It went well, for the most part. Lost two frigates along the way, then a Rai lost his cruiser when we came back to help defend. Fortunately we were able to damage the enemy support fleet enough to neutralize them. Method took light armor damage, but fortunately the battleship with us had repair modules on it. The pilots of the lost ships would have returned a while ago."_

"Yeah, they did. Worried me at first too, but what can ya do?" Lethal responded. "Either way, see if you can fit a few repair modules on that thing. You can help as a logistics pilot for the time being."

_"Roger that." _And he clicked off.

Lethal's camera drones wheeled around his ship. _'Damn call pulled me out of the battle. It could have waited I suppose, but there's nothing I can do about it now.'_ He said as he watched sparks fly from all corners of the hanger as repair crews and drones bustled about and crawled over the hulls of ships. Large cranes loaded and unloaded module emplacements and dropped them to the ground, or into a disposal panel in the floor.

There was some good news about this though; the computers had finally finished decoding the alien language. Already all available ships were being updated with new starmaps and warp routes. It amazed lethal how expansive the galaxy was, and how many species and people were in it. Another thing that interested him though, was that there were _humans_ already in this galaxy. That would be something he would ponder over for many a night to come. But it was for another time, a time when they weren't in danger.

* * *

Obi-wan walked down the street. It was a pretty tough part of town; old buildings, warehouses, beat up speeders and transporter rigs thunder past. Above his head, the old elevated monospeeder zipped by with occasional shiny freighters" hissing beside it. Obi-wan came to a kind of alien diner. On the steamed-up windows it said "DEX'S DINER" in alien lettering. He went inside without hesitation.

Inside was the usual odd assortment of aliens and machines, each with such radically different attire that one might have thought he was in the boiling pot of the galaxy. But no, it was just a diner. But at the same time, it wasn't just _any_ diner.

A waitress droid carrying a couple plates of half-eaten food rolled between the tables. There was a counter with stools and a line of booths along the wall by the window that gave a decent view of the sidewalks and pedestrians. A number of customers were eating: Tough looking workers, Freighter drivers, etc.

The waitress droid dropped off the dishes in her hands then wheeled over to Obi-wan, looking up as the door closed behind him.

"Can I help ya?" She asked in her digitized voice.

"I'm looking for Dexter." He said, his hands folded in his sleeves.

The droid approached Obi-wan even more, looking at him warily. "Waddya want him for?"

"Oh, he's not in trouble." He said understandingly. "It's personal."

There was a brief pause. Then the droid rolled off to the open serving hatch behind the counter and called out, "Someone to see ya, honey!" She lowered her voice and added "A Jedi, by the looks of him..."

Steam billowed out from the kitchen hatch behind the counter as a huge head poked through. "Obi-Wan!" He cried out in his slow drawl.

"Hello Dex." Obi-wan said with a warm smile.

"Take a seat! I'll be right with ya!"

He obliged and sat in a booth near the entrance.

"You want a cup of jawa-juice?" The waitress droid asked as she rolled by.

"Oh yes, thank you." The droid moved off as the door to the counter opened and Dexter Jettster appeared. He was big, bald and sweaty, old and alien. Not someone to tangle with. He wobbled up to Ob-wan, beaming hugely.

"Hey, ol' buddy!" He said as Obi-wan stood and hugged the four armed Besilisk.

"Hey, Dex."

Dex eased himself into the seat opposite his Jedi friend barely fitting into it.

"So, my friend. What can I do for ya?" He asked jovially.

Kenobi reached into his robe and withdrew a small object from his cloak. "You can tell me what this is." He placed the dart on the table between them. Dex's eyes widen and he set his mug down.

"Well, whaddya know..." He said softly as he picked up the poison dart delicately between his puffy fingers and peered at it. "I ain't seen one of these since I was prospecting on Subterrel beyond the Outer Rim!"

"Can you tell me where it came from?" Asked the Jedi, glad he'd decided to ask his friend for help.

Dexter grinned and put the dart down between them. "This baby belongs to them cloners. What you got here is a Kamino saberdart.

"Kamino saberdart? ...I wonder why it didn't show up in our analysis archive."

"Well ya see, it's these funny little cuts on the side that give it away... Those analysis droids you've got over there only focus on symbols, you know. I should think you Jedi would have more respect for the difference between knowledge and wisdom."

Obi-wan chuckled and look at his friend in mock seriousness. "Well, Dex, if droids could think, we wouldn't be here, would we?" Dex laughed and nodded, while Obi-wan returned to his pondering. "Kamino... doesn't sound familiar. Is it part of the Republic?

"Oh no, it's beyond the Outer Rim. I'd say about twelve parsecs outside the Rishi Maze, toward the south." He said scratching his chin. "It should be easy to find, even for those droids in your archive. These Kaminoans keep to themselves. They're cloners. Damned good ones, too."

Obi-wan picked up the dart, holding it midway between them. "Cloners? Are they friendly?"

"Well it depends."

"Depends on what, Dex?"

Dexter grins. "On how good your manners are... and how big your pocketbook is..."

Obi-wan nodded understandingly. "Still, I wonder why-" He was cut off by the door chime.

In walked a black cloaked man with black hair and mask that hid all but one eye, and even that was shadowed. He stopped and looked around spying Dex. "Hey Dexter. I'll have the usual." He said as he took a booth beside Obi-wan's.

"Excuse me, got a customer to feed." Dexter said, lifting himself from the table and hobbling back to his cave known as the kitchen. Obi-wan suddenly got a suspicious feeling in his gut, and the Force felt suddenly so much colder. Reaching out to it, he felt around the patrons at the bar, feeling only the meridian waves of energy from each, except for the black cloaked, masked man. To the Jedi Master, it felt as if he was trying to suppress his presence, but at the same time didn't even know he even had one.

Obi-wan cautiously got up and walked up to the bar, behind which stood Dex, slaving over a food preparation table.

"Hey Dex, who's that fellow that just walked in?" He asked quietly, leaning over the bar in a casual manner.

"Ooo, can't help ya there sonny. Aint got a clue. Walked in here a few weeks ago and ever since he's been coming every day for lunch. Think he introduced himself as… oh what was it…? Madoro… Madari… Oh, Madara! Yeah that's it." He deduced in a hushed tone.

"Madara? I can't say I've ever heard of it, but he gives me a strange feeling…" He said, stealing a glance at the back of the man's head. He turned back to Dex and said, "Keep an eye on him for me will you?"

Dex looked from his friend to the black haired man and nodded with a grin. "Sure thing kiddo!" Offering his hand.

Obi-wan took it with a smile. "Thanks Dex, you've been a big help."

"Always willing to help a Jedi." The big alien said proudly.

Said Jedi nodded and walked out, taking one last look at the back of the man's head. Maybe it was his imagination, but just as he was walking out, the man's head cocked to the side as if in a backwards glace. But when Obi-wan looked at him through the window, he was turned back to his table, reading a datapad.

There was something about him that put Obi-wan on edge. Sure there were those who were inherently dark in the Force, like the Nightsisters, but Obi-wan felt different about this one. He would have to keep an eye on him, if he could.

* * *

Jonathan passed through the hallways reserved for capsuleers. Space stations were divided up by levels, with the highest levels being the holiest of holies; the Capsuleer's Quarters. Only them, and the most trusted mechanics were allowed to step foot on the precious metal. Nearly fifty alliance capsuleers were docked and waiting at this very station. Each one was part of the advance force that would be blitzing into the wormhole once they got clearance from nearby alliances to pass through their space. By the time they did, the wormhole would probably have collapsed.

But a message concerning this to Pain, as he had been given special access to a communication line directly to him, was put to rest when Pain assured him that the wormhole would be stable and capable of getting the whole alliance through. Jonathan could only assume that Pain had somehow gotten workers to the wormhole and had stabilized it with that newly re-found technology he had mentioned nearly twenty hours ago.

He blinked and he realized he'd walked out of the living quarters and onto the large veranda of the station's south side. This level, along with the next three and the previous seven were all off limits to everyone except capsuleers. A dozen or so lazed around the large balcony, either getting food from the food court nearby or sitting on a bench overlooking the rest of the station.

Looking to his left, he saw Yoma Yun leaning over the balcony's railing, breathing in the cool, crisp, manufactured air. The sun had yet to set its rays upon this section of the station, so it was still a bit chilly. John walked over and stared off into the distance of space.

"Worried?" he asked.

"Not really. Just anxious." Yun replied passively.

Jonathan nodded slightly. "I know what you mean. If that wormhole realy is stabilized by the time we get there, then we may have to deal with moving and entire_ alliance_ into a wormhole."

"Yup. Either way, we've got our work cut out for us." Yoma sighed out. "Fifty battleship pilots… Think that'll be enough?"

"It'll have to be." Jonathan said as he turned to leave. "If Pain can really follow through on his promise, then I'm willing to follow any order he gives. Better to follow the strong then lead the weak after all."

Yoma watched as his comrade walked away and turned back to the view. "Can't really disagree with that…"

* * *

**A/N: FUNFUNFUNFUN! Yes! Things are beginning to heat up, and that's no joke! I don't realy want to spoil anything, but to clear up some confusion, the Akatsuki in New Eden and the Akatsuki in the Star Wars galaxy are two different Akatsukies. "How" you ask? That will be explained later. **

**For those of you confused over the Akatsuki's member CEOs the list below will fill you in and can be used for future reference. **

**/**Real Name, **Code Name/Callsign,** Corporation.**/**

Jonathan Yuron, **Empowered**, Master-Ships

Ector Aranous, **Switch**, Lights-Out Corp

Zeke Thran, **Crypt**, Krane Research Division

Rayta Werdin, **Evermore**, Vertigo Corp

Alen Mehmit, **Lethal**, Onyx Heavy Industries

Yoma Yun, **Sarin-Aide**, Gray Space Technologies

Dresdin Hrustic, **Armordillio**, United Keepers Corp.

Lester Itristic, **Gamble**, Nightmare Realm

Joron Thurston, **Radial**, Ballistix

Pain, **Ningendo**, Red Sun Rising

**And on a side note, don't be afraid to wiki/google things you don't understand, such as ships, planets, races, or words if need be. That's what I do :)**

**If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to mention them. You can do this easily by hitting the shiny little "REVIEW NOW" button directly below this sentence. 'Till next time folks! :D**

**P.S. If you can guess the meaning behind the pun of a title, you'll get this shiny penny! You can't see it, but its realy pretty!**


	9. Chapter 9: Transitions

**A/N: And here we are again for chapter nine of my slowly by surely advancing story! This one's not nearly as long as my other chapters simply because this is more like a transition chapter, getting content in in short bursts rather than long drawn out chapters that would just bore you. Not to say im going to do this all the time or abandon long chapters, but when I finished, I thought "There's nothing else I can add to this chapter." Dunno why, but I just felt that this was an appropriate sized chapter. Quarter one of school is now complete by the way. YAY! Its going by pretty fast isn't it? I'm kind of happy, and kinda sad at the same time since we all know schools gets harder as time goes on. But, enough about me. Lets start off this chapter with some acknowledgemnts, shall we?**

**Ty to **Kage Bijuu, zentary, Frostius, , Freehawk, storyreaderlovespie, dbzlover, Konekoeureka, ficgenie, omega5, ficgenie** again,** redhrard, **and** georgeofthecity. **Honestly I think ahlf of the anonymous reviews are by the same person, since the grammer is allmost exactly the same. But hey, I aint complaining so long as they give me nice LONG reviews. Hint hint.**

**Now to answer some questions:**

Kage Bijuu: **It's tough to say since the confederacy DID use biochem weapons, so its possible. We'll have to see what happens in the war.**

storyreaderlovespie: **Don't worry, that will be explained in the next few chapters. This one was just a stepping stone to them.**

Konekoeureka: **I agree, but Homeworld 2 is a far cry from both Star Wars and EVE Online unfortunately. Besides, I don't know enough of the backstory to include them anyway even if I chose to.**

omega5: **Like I said to **storyreaderlovespie **it will be explained later on.**

ficgenie: **It will be explained like I said to **storyreaderlovespie **and **omega5.

**(Now see why I think they're the same person?)**

georgeofthecity:** I may a tad bit here and there, and the ending to this story will be super different than canon. I hope you look forward to it!**

**Now, onto the story!**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Transitions**

At one point in time, you could look up at the starlit sky and say, "It's so peaceful up there." But those thoughts were abandoned thousands of years ago by both the people of the Know Galaxy and of New Eden. Space, the supposed final frontier of peace and unity for Man had only become another battlefront, as had every other new field of exploration before it. The Americas, the ocean floor, the sky above it, the space above Earth, Mars, Venus… the list goes on and on. The only consolation was that there were no more unknown stages of war.

Land, sea, air, and space. These were the only realms Man could assert his dominance, and assert it he did. For tens of thousands of years, the Milky Way was explored and raped, its worlds and suns exploited for whatever resources Man could find. But when even those could give no more, and Man could travel no further, he turned on himself, returning to the only place he truly lived; the realm of war.

Man's natural instinct is to fight, to prove his right to live as one greater than the defeated. But Man tires of it as well. Like an everyday routine, he wakes up, wars, and sleeps, then wakes up and does it all over again. But when EVE appeared and gave Man a new hope, he jumped at the opportunity and set sail again for parts unknown. But as if the Universe knew of Man's insatiable lust for conquest, it punished him, tearing him from himself. And Man once again knew agony. But the Universe failed in one regard: it let the part of Man that got through EVE live. But even though the piece was small, it was still part of Man, and so was subject to his habits and desires. Like a seed from a dying plant, it took root and in that new galaxy it grew, festering like a disease.

The Universe learned its mistake and tried to erase Man from that pure, virgin galaxy. But it was not long after the Universe fell into a great sorrow. Man had grown too much. He now adapted to his surroundings, bending them to his desires, however impure. And so Man grew, and grew, and grew, and then expanded, spreading like a much needed cure across his home he ironically dubbed "New Eden."

This was Man's creed. He would never change. He would never be able to live with the Universe as he had long ago. And so the Universe turned his eyes away from Man in both galaxies; whatever happened happened by Man's hand. The Universe would no longer shield him from disasters or gift him with rewards. For the first time in his known life, Man felt truly, and utterly alone.

For tens of thousands of years, this remained the case. Man did as he had done for hundreds of millennia. Without the Universe's guiding hand, Man could not progress beyond himself.

But the Universe could only turn away for so long. Like a parent who had chastised their child, it could feel regret for what it had done, and thought that perhaps it had been too harsh. Unable to help itself, it dared to glance behind and gaze upon the doomed galaxy it had turned away from so long ago. What it saw was nothing short of stunning… and horrifying.

Man had fallen beyond what he had been before, but with that fall came technology and actions of such perversion that the Universe couldn't help but marvel at. It truly could not associate with this creature anymore. At least, not until he had learned his lesson. It would not abandon him, for the Universe was now enthralled by Man and his potential. The Five Empires were less than perfect, but it could see events on the horizon that would unite Man against the darkness of himself, and it would be that day that Man truly warranted reconciliation with the Universe.

But it was not the Five Empires the Universe was so interested in. Oh no, it was the millions of humans who called themselves "gods." These humans were different from the rest. Connecting themselves to their massive metal machines of destruction, they channeled their darkness through their weapons, spreading like flame to paper with every unit of ammunition fired.

But even so, what amazed the Universe was that these humans found a way to circumvent death, in a way. When their current body died, their memories would be sent to a copy of themselves, and they would awake and return to their daily lives. Truly…Man was capable of great… and _evil_ deeds.

But the Universe, no matter how much it tried to quarantine Man, could do nothing as Man learned to create what it called "wormholes." Tunnels stretching through space and time to instantly transport him across the face of creation. The Universe tried to remedy this by closing them as soon as it could, but alas, there was one that had escaped its sight. No, rather, one that it _couldn't _see.

The cause for this blindness came in the form of one whom among men rightfully held the title of "god."

The name of that god was Pain. And the Universe, or better known to him as Fate, meant absolutely nothing to him.

* * *

Naruto slowly awoke from his sleep to a sweet smell. As his eyes slowly slid open, he was greeted by a mass of dark hair. For a moment he stared blankly at it, trying to remember where he was. But last night's events weren't too far from his mind, and he easily recalled them. He smiled softly at the back of Hinata's head. They seemed to have switched places in their sleep, leaving Naruto's back to the cabin wall and Hinata in front of him. They appeared to have slid next to each other, leaving no space between them, but surprisingly, Naruto felt no hormonal surges from the realization of how close they were. His expression didn't even change. He simply didn't feel the need for those kind of actions. He gently snuggled up closer to her, pressing his body to hers.

Unfortunately, she stirred. He flinched in regret but quickly shook it off. He gently brushed some hair from her face and she groaned softly. Slowly, she awoke to his caresses. Naruto was sure as soon as she got out of that phase where your awake but still think your dreaming, she'd jump up in surprise.

To his pleasant surprise she slowly rolled over to face him. Her eyes were half closed and her smile was so endearing, he couldn't help but lean forward and press his lips to hers. It lasted only for a second or two, but the affectionate action was enough for both of them to feel the love they each held for the other.

He backed away and smiled at her. Her face only glowed with more happiness. "Morning." He said quietly.

"Mmm… morning. Wha~aah… time is it?" she yawned out, her body tensing as she stretched her stiff muscles.

Naruto looked over to the clock on the horizontal panel jutting out from the wall that served as a nightstand. It displayed foreign digits that he couldn't for the life of him decipher.

"I don't know. But then again I don't really care." He said, settling into the bed. She smiled at him, reaching over to brush a bang out of his eyes, as he had done to her just moments ago. They would have lain there for a long while more were it not for a short nock at the door. He sighed in annoyance, and Hinata seemed realize they were no longer alone. Naruto threw his side of the covers back and carefully crawled over the Hyuuga and to the floor on her side. Clad only in his boxers and black tee, he walked over to the door, but he was a guy, he didn't care. Hinata on the other hand suddenly had an insight into the mind of guys; they don't care how they look.

She rose from her place on the bed and brought the covers to her chest. Even though she wore her gifted kimono, she was still very vulnerable to the lecherous eye. Naruto went to the door and seeing no eyehole, cracked open the door to see Zetsu standing there. "Oh, morning Zetsu."

"Morning? **More like afternoon."** He said dryly. Naruto shrugged and opened the door fully. "No like I can tell." He said glancing back at the clock.

Zetsu looked him up and down before raising an eyebrow. Naruto stared him for a moment, not getting what he was looking at. Zetsu shook his head and continued. "Anyway, I guess it's understandable considering you two haven't had much rest lately."

Naruto nodded in agreement before stepping aside and gesturing to the cabin. "Come in?" He asked simply.

Zetsu nodded and stooped down to get in. Naruto closed the door behind him. "I brought you guys some food." Zetsu said simply, pulling out a scroll and handing it to Naruto. "There's a refrigerator in those cabinets over there…" he pointed to a small kitchenette on the other side of the room. "…and a microwave too."

Naruto took the scroll and nodded in understanding. **"Oh and by the way, **you'll be glad to know we've left that godforsaken dustbowl behind."

Naruto smiled, looking back at Hinata who had "relief" written all over her face. When he turned back to Zetsu, he wasn't there. Instead he'd walked past Naruto to an empty wall and looked at it for a moment, golden eyes darting across it. "If you want a good look at where we are now…" He found the small panel and pressed it. A plate of the wall slid back to reveal a window to the outside. But it was what was behind the window that had both Naruto and Hinata suddenly star struck. Quite literally.

Beyond the sheet of permaglass lay a field of twinkling stars, each one flickering in the blackness of space. To their right, and almost of view was, almost unbelievably, a tan and white planet. For a few moments, no one said anything. Hinata had gotten up to join Naruto at the window, not caring about her appearance at the moment. Naruto eventually forced his eyes away from the incredible scene and turned to Zetsu. "H…H-how is this-…?"

**"Space travel.** We, meaning you two too, now find ourselves in a different galaxy, and in this galaxy, I'd say just about anything is possible."

Naruto suddenly had a flash back to his conversations with Zetsu the day before and vaguely recalled the plant man saying "world_s._" He had passed it off as a slur or an ambient sound. But now it made sense.

World_s…_ Plural. If there was space travel, then that means there must be dozens, maybe hundreds of worlds out there. But as he looked back out at the stars, he couldn't help but wonder, _'which one is ours?'_

_

* * *

_

"_Time's up. Let's get this show on the road."_ The sound of fuel cells and power systems thrummed through the gargantuan hanger, the clanking and groaning of docking struts detaching broke the constant hum in staccato bursts. A long series of affirmatives followed immediately after. Row after row, column after column's engines roared to life as they slowly headed for the mouth of the massive station that housed them. It was time to leave and save their brethren. To anyone outside, capsuleer, civilian, or military, the sight of battleships undocking by the dozens would be enough to both awe and frighten anyone. But they were fortunate that they were not the targets of this newly unleashed wrath.

When the armada finally complete undocking and cleared the station, as one they turned on their sides and pointed to the nearest stargate. And as one they vanished into the blackness of space. Jonathan's massive Rokh battleship accelerated through space in the middle of the fleet. It would be several jumps before they made it to the wormhole. _'Another few minutes probably.'_ He realized.

"_RSR facility "_Horizon"_ contacting Empowered. Do you copy?"_ His radio crackled to life. He responded accordingly. "Roger that Horizon. I read you loud and clear."

"_Very good. Please hold for linked broadcast."_ The voice on the other end ordered. A few seconds later a familiar voice streamed over the fleet communications channel.

"_This is Pain, founder and CEO of Red Sun Rising and of Akatsuki. I'm sure you all know the situation, but I'll repeat it anyway: Onyx has found itself caught in a wormhole and need help establishing a permanent foothold. This is a critical mission that is necessary for our eventual migration. I won't lie to you. We don't know what these new threats are capable of. Be ready pilots…"_

The fleet slowly decelerated at the rendezvous location and there, as promised, lay the wormhole that had caused such a stir. But what astonished all present was the massive construct around it. Nearby, a small outpost station lay with giant modules surrounding it. And in front of the wormhole, another fleet lay. A quick scan or zoom in showed them to be members of Red Sun Rising. Nearly thirty ships lay in formation around the wormhole. What amazed Jonathan and indeed every other capsuleer was not the numbers, but rather the numbers considering the type of ships. Command ships were a special class of ships that took years to learn to fly and equip correctly, even with a capsuleer's unique accelerated learning system. Using a battlecruiser's hull, they were engineered to command fleets with exclusive "gang-links" that helped reduce the stress put on a ship for a specific function allowing massively increased functions.

And with thirty or so of those ships in the same fleet each running their own gang-links… It staggered the imagination to even try and think what those ships were capable of. But the greatest of these facts was that all of these pilots, as he read the names, were senior members of RSR. Of the ten member corporations that comprised Akatsuki, Red Sun Rising was the most powerful. Red Sun Rising members kept to themselves, rarely speaking to anyone outside their conglomerate and willing to do whatever is necessary to win.

"_Prepare yourselves soldiers. We won't slow down for anyone who falls behind. We won't protect the incompetent. We won't protect the weak."_

Jonathan would have quirked and eyebrow if he could. _'Why does he mean by _we_?'_ It was then he noticed among the mass of battlecruiser sized ships a battleship. But this battleship was no ordinary vessel. Any new pilot wouldn't think twice of it, but to an experienced capsuleer like Jonathan, the difference was painfully obvious. While the Apocalypse battleship was common, there were three variations. One was a suped-up version that was placed in a different class known as Marauders. The second was the Navy Issue Apocalypse, a ship that could be purchased from the Amarr Navy for a hefty fee that few in New Eden could even dream of making.

The final version was the fabled Imperial Issue Apocalypse. Only five were ever known to exist; four were given out as reward from the current emperor of Amarr to the winners of the Galactic Tournament. Three of those were destroyed and the other was kept under lock and key by Arenis Xemdal, a proud owner of the last "Impoc."

The only other Imperial Issue was given out as a prize for a lottery. _'But the winner donated it back to the Amarr Navy, so how…?'_ His question was answered as soon as he realized who was in it.

Pain.

'_How the Hell did he get an Imperial Apocalypse?'_ The idea one could purchase it back from the Amarr Navy was simply impossible. If it _were_ possible, it would cost one several hundred billion credits. Possibly even _trillions!_ If it weren't for his mind being disconnected from his body his eyes would have popped out of his skull in shock and awe.

Jonathan suddenly found a new view of Pain creeping into his mind. Pain was a man of untold power and influence, as well as impossibly deep pockets. For once in his life Jonathan unexpectedly felt a strange twinge of jealousy towards the man. But it didn't feel quite like greed. If he didn't know better, he would say it was like what a rule-bound child felt toward an older man who was unrestricted felt like.

Then he realized; he felt inferior. This man who had appeared out of nowhere with technology and authority beyond Jonathan's wildest dreams and took command of his alliance with the greatest of ease… It was nearly intolerable.

And as soon as that epiphany came, it went, replaced by anger. He _was_ inferior and he knew it. But the maddening thing was that there was nothing he could do about it.

"_All ships prepare for entry."_ The cold voice broke his thoughts like a mirror. Gathering his wits, he pushed his new feelings away. Even if he was inferior, he knew how to behave as a fleet commander.

"You heard him boys, get ready." He called to his fleet members. An affirmative from each of them followed.

"_OK, Go."_

The command ship fleet plus Pain's Impoc slowly vanished into the wormholes event horizon, vanishing from this galaxy. With a leader's air, his Rokh followed them through accompanied by his battleship fleet. Whatever waited for them on the other side, he would be ready for it.

Pain slowly walked through the middle levels of one of Coruscant's market areas. Walking by a fruit stand he plucked an apple looking produce without so much as even looking at it or slowing down. Taking a left into a nearby alley he leapt up with such force the ground below him groaned in stress. The wind instantly tore at his cloths and hair as he rocketed high into the air, finally arriving at and surpassing the building's roof. Slowly he descended, landing softly on the dense metal. Standing straight he walked to the edge and gazed out at Coruscant's busy night sky. Lights from thousands of vehicles of different shapes and sizes crisscrossed the lanes of traffic in between space scraping building in the distance.

It wasn't the first time he'd simply stood and watched this view. Until his compatriots returned or contacted him, he had nothing to do but this. Konan stayed faithfully by his really body's side in an apartment in the upper echelons of the city planet. With the heights those buildings could reach, it was possible for Nagato to control all six bodies planet wide.

It was pleasantly peaceful this night, and it pleased him to know it. After all, peace was what he strove for. Interlocking his fingers in front of him, he poured his chakra into the sky and watched in satisfaction as the stars were slowly blocked out but the newly forming rain clouds. The first telltale signs of it were in the humid air that began to blow and the pitter patter of distant rain.

A gentle beeping from his belt drew him from his work. Reaching down and placing the communication device to his ear he said, "Go ahead."

"_I've secured the temporary services of the Kyuubi and the Hyuuga girl. But it's a delicate non-aggression agreement, so I'm being nice to them. __**As much as it pains me…**__ But it looks like if we're able to somehow control the Hyuuga, we can manipulate the Kyuubi."_

"I told you we're not doing that. We need everyone's help right now, no exceptions. And what do you mean we can manipulate him?" Pain rebuked and then questioned his plantlike subordinate.

"_Turns out their hot for each other if you know what I mean. __**Pathetically so.**__ And I do mean _pathetic._"_ Zetsu commented dryly.

Pain mulled over this but continued on, deciding he would contemplate that later. "Fine, just bring them here and we'll figure out where to go from there."

**"…And if they don't want to stick around?"** Zetsu asked after a moment.

Pain couldn't help but smirk. "I'm fairly certain they will." And ended the call.

* * *

**A/N: And that's chapter nine! Again, sorry for its miniscule size, but like I said, I felt it was appropriate. For some reason it won't let me underline the text so it looks like communications will be done in italics from now on. Its realy annoying. Also, if you play EVE or know someone who does, please refer this story to them. EVE Online is not a popular category here on and its disappointing to know that. It also doesnt help that I can only choose two categories for crossovers, which is somehting they should change. Oh well, when life give you lemons... well you get the idea. **

**Leave a *cough* LONG *cough* review for me on your way out. If you have any comments or questions, don't hesitate to ask! But its very difficult for me to respond to anonymous reviews that have questions, so i'll prolly do that at the beginning of each chapter. **

**Just throwing that out there.**

**Till next time! o7 (thats how we salute in EVE :P)**


	10. Chapter 10: The Pieces Move

**A/N: Yo! Glad to see me again? For some reason I've been seriously motivated to work on this story. Dunno why, but I do! I'm sure you aren't complaining. Today, I'm going to respond to ALL of your reviews from last chapter, since they were really good and raised interesting points that the rest of you might be thinking about.**

Kage Bijuu: **Yes, Naruto and Hinata WILL get a costume change in the next chapter, and for the most part, Hinata will probably be considered a blind Human to the normal passerby, but if they found out she could still see she would probably be considered a very Near-Human.**

Storyreaderlovespie: **Good to know! You'll find out just how and why there are two Pains in the next chapter!**

Eipok: **As I said, the mystery of the two Pains will be explained in the next chapter, and it will tie EVE into the story once you find out the secret. Oooo! In several cases, Star Wars ships do outclass the New Edeners; however, that is why I fstarted them fighting the Vagaari. They don't use shields and don't have big capital ships (at least as far as I understand) so they would be more of a match to the EVE pilots. It also allows for some technology to be reverse engineered so the EVE side can adapt. **

**Remember, this story is only **Episode II** of Star Wars. I still plan on doing **Episode III, IV, V,** and **VI,** so there will be tons of time for me to work in the details. **

**And TY for mentioning this to your friends! I look forward to their reviews!**

DBZLOVER: **Thanks, I hit** Navras **by** Juno Reactor Vs. Don Davis **right as I started the chapter and I was like "Hey, might as well start it out semi-epically."**

Ficgenie: **Thanks man, that means a lot to me!**

Thoketan-XER298-RedRover: **Yeha, i gte typoes al the tiem. Wat cn ya do? :P Other than that, since you're not a Naruto fan, I can understand, and forgive you for your ignorance and dislike of the Naru/Hina. ^_^ **

**What I changed in writing was from the way EVE is in the game to the way it is in the books, which is considerably different. You'd only notice it if you played EVE and read the books too. Otherwise, yeah, it would seem minute. **

**There won't be a lot of contact between the Star Wars universe and the Naruto/EVE universe aside for scuffles and fights for a few more chapters until I get the Naruto/EVE relationship finished. Then the Star Wars side will come into play more prominently. Don't worry there will be plenty of interaction later on in this particular fic, but for the moment the contact will be minimal. **

**The reason I don't switch the category from Naruto/Star Wars to Naruto/EVE Online is because more people look up Naruto/Star Wars than Naruto/EVE Online. 'Nough said. **

**Yeah I tend to mess that up some times, but you should've seen Souls & Swords before I edited the earlier chapters. It was awful; I'd put one persons' sentence at the beginning then a transition sentence, then another persons' sentence all in one paragraph. Confusing as heck. I'm doing better at that though.**

Reneden: **Yooo! Buddy! Wus uup? Good to hear you finished Naruto and Shippuuden. Now you just need to read the manga (which I believe is about two years ahead of the anime). **

**And be content with what you have! If you live your life wishing you had more, you'll end up like Donald Trumph; rich and unhappy, with your own TV show, seven wives and over a hundred kids. Wait… XD **

**Ty buddy.**

**Also, there was a duo of reviewers who didn't review make it to the last chapter and quit half-way through, but I'll address them too.**

Trife: **I'm glad you give your honest opinions to people, but you could try and make them a bit nicer if you know what I mean. But yeah, like I said in chapter four, I ran out of inspiration but go it back in the form of EVE in the Star Wars galaxy. Then of course I realized I had to make it mix with Naruto somehow, so I thought about it and found a way to make it work, which will be explained in the next chapter. **

**Yeah it was kind of random, but then, there are many random elements in stories. But that doesn't mean you stop reading them. If you realy liked it before you hit the randomness, a simple message to the author asking to explain can clear things right up! If you don't like the story after **Chapter 11**, then I won't hold it against you if you stop reading.**

DamionKenley117: **I already talked with you about it, but this is more for the public's knowledge than yours. Yeah it's a Triple-Crossover. Yeah I have an OC/self-insertion in it. However, to those of you who don't like OCs/self-insertions the impact the character will have will be minimal as you can already tell. As for the triple crossover… well, there are lots of them. They only work if they flow, and of course it won't flow right away, it'll take time. However, you'll probably begin to understand in the next chapter when I explain the relationship between EVE and Naruto and how Naruto and co. got in the Star Wars galaxy.**

**And now without further ado, I leave you to your literary enjoyment! Read with love!**

* * *

******Chapter 10: The Pieces Move**

"_I said to move to the northern quadrant! We're getting hammered down here!"_

"_We're tied down damnit! We can't move _anywhere!_"_

"_For fuck's sake! Eight-squad, get your fucking guns on those destroyers!"_

"_Unable to comply, we're jammed!"_

"_Is there _ANYONE_ who can do fucking _ANYTHING?_"_

"_Everyone shut up! H-squad, fall back and regroup with C-squad. If you've got long range ammo use it now."_

"_Roger sir. Falling back to regroup. Be advised, Slaver-Eight-Eight-Zero is open to enemy attack. Request replacement forces."_

"_Negative. We have no reserve forces available. Abandon Slaver-Eight-Eight-Zero. B-squad, cover Five-squad on their fall back to Six-Six-Yulai-Drake."_

"_Affirmative."_

"_J-squad, break off pursuit of enemy forces and return to base. Load heaviest ammunition."_

"_Ambush!"_

"_Scatter! Fire until you're in warp! Don't give them easy kills!"_

"_They're everywhe-!"_

"_Lyn? Lyn!"_

"_Leave him! He'll be fine! Focus on yourself!"_

"_The enemy has broken through the blockade. Request tactical fall-back and regroup."_

"_Damn, I thought they would be longer. Very well, all ships return to point Niner-Vitoc-Drop and hold."_

"_This is insane! Where are our reinforcements?"_

"_Just do as you're told!"_

Chaos. That was the only word that could describe the massive series of attacks sent against them. Lethal was doing his best to command the series of fleets that were spread around the system while engaging what enemy forces showed their faces at his current location. It was turning in a Hell faster than anyone could have expected. They'd only just defended against a siege that morning and were in the process of repairing. No one was expecting another attack so soon. It hadn't even been sixteen hours and they had been assaulted by another force easily three times the size of the first. Lethal had hoped that fending off all attacks would dishearten the enemy from continued aggression, but it didn't appear to be working, and with ship losses reaching record highs, he knew that good fleet tactics would only get them so much further.

Pilots continued to return to the station for emergency repairs and refueling, but more and more of them returned only in their escape pods, whereupon they promptly docked in the hanger and awaited further orders while keeping tabs on fleet orders as if it were the Worlds Championships of Mindclash. Lethal knew this was just a losing battle with them fighting for time. If they could stave off this massive attack, he figured the enemy would need time to regroup and by doing so give him and his ilk time to recoup. Another reason for this small hope was the promised help from the alliance, whenever they got here. If only they could last long enough…

But if a force _triple_ the size of that morning's really was fighting their way here right now, he knew it could possibly mean the end of them. But there was a silver lining in that fact: forces of that size would take time to reassemble and reorganize into an assault party. That in and of itself would take several hours to organize arrange correctly. So if all allied forces were withdrawn at the same time, the enemy would have to deal with the sudden retreat with organization.

He was playing for time now.

* * *

Pain watched, and felt as the wormhole twisted and flashed, and if he wasn't suspended in his pod, he would have thrown up immediately. Slowly, the starscape altered and warped to a black background dotted with white stars. Looking behind him, he saw the wormhole fluctuate again, and again and again. It flashed eighty more times before it ceased its spasm and calmed its rippling energy waves. And one by one the eighty allied ships came into view, gliding as if on a gentle breeze toward him.

It was a multitude of designs. Twelve different battleship designs and eight unique types of command ships were enough to widen the eyes of any seasoned military man.

But not Pain's. He was beyond any seasoned military man.

He was beyond any _man _entirely_._

When he was sure that all ships had transferred safely, he switched to the fleet channel. "All ships, you are being transferred the coordinates of the Onyx outpost. Align to and signal when ready."

Pain allowed thirty seconds to roll by before he decided enough time had been given. Already all RSR ships were ready to go, along with the majority of the battleships from Master-Ships and Gray Space Tech. Using his fleet commander privileges, he overrode the fleet's navigational controls and forced them all into warp. As they all slowly accelerated into their faster-than-light travel, Pain could feel _it. _

He allowed himself a smile, even though his actions within the ship were supposedly disconnected from his body.

_He_ was here. Pain had arrived to this galaxy, but he wasn't the only one.

He could waste no more time.

"Get ready."

* * *

"We're exiting hyperspace." Said the captain of the small freighter. Behind him stood Zetsu, and behind him sat strapped into their seats the duo of lovebirds. Zetsu hid his wonder of the streaking stars easily enough, but the same could not be said for Naruto and Hinata, who both had never seen anything so beautiful in their whole lives. But what they saw once the streaking stars vanished would only astound them even more.

"Here we are, Corsucant." Drawled the man. He'd seen it so many times he could puke. Even more so when he saw how ridiculous the two teenagers in the back were acting. Thank goodness he didn't look back. Instead he merely mumbled under his breath, "you better pay me when we land," to Zetsu behind him. He was answered by a simple, "of course," before the ship accelerated to cruising speed and headed toward the planet.

To Naruto and Hinata, the well-lit planet looked like a beautiful gem floating in space with flickering yellow spots that winked in and out of existence as they were temporarily eclipsed by starships as they entered the atmosphere or crawled across the sky within it. Their wide-eyed gazes and gaping mouths were noted by Zetsu who shrugged as the ship began to hit the atmosphere. It vibrated a bit, but it only ended up being a light hum thanks to the ship's inertial compensators. It lasted only for a moment as it broke through the relatively thin thermosphere and hit the highest clouds and vanished within.

Hinata looked worried for a moment not being able to see where they were going. However, the man at the controls didn't panic and seemed to look at a series of instruments on the panel in front of him. She gasped when an ominous shadow, like a mountain shrouded in haze flew by them. The man looked back at her strangely before turning back to his controls. "Ain't you two ever flown before?" He asked sarcastically, knowing they couldn't speak Basic.

"**No,"** Zetsu answered seriously before reaching into his cloak and withdrew a small datapad and began tapping keys. The ship finally broke through the thick cloud cover that dominated the sky. It was then that Naruto and Hinata _really_ lost their ability to breath. This planet was like an oversized deluxe version of Amegakure. Massive buildings stood stalwart in the gray sky and stretched downward to the surface of the planet some several miles down. The brief patches of sunlight gleamed off the surface of what metal it hit, including ships, sending sparkles of light dazzling about the cockpit interior.

Naruto, not even realizing he'd done so, unbuckled himself and stood walking closer to the window, but staying behind the captain's chair. He shook his head slightly in bewilderment. "It's incredible," he breathed in awe.

The captain heard him say something in a foreign language he didn't know and ignored him. Just a few more minutes and he'd be rid of these kids and that freaky plant guy. _'Ah, and there's the landing platform,'_ he thought with relief.

The use a floating landing platform meant that you were an important person, or at least had money to afford it. Rounding toward it, he noticed there was another man standing off to the side of the landing area wearing the same garb as the bi-colored alien behind him. He had long yellow hair, but that was all he could see.

He brought the ship around and positioned it skillfully, with the help of the computer, on the platform somewhat softly. "Right, that's thirty-six thousand credits for the two trips and the domestic trauma," He said without missing a beat as he stood up and turned to the human Venus flytrap. Zetsu put the datapad down and tucked it in his cloak.

"The funds have already been transferred to your account in the amount of forty-two thousand. **Keep the change."**

The captain stood in shock for only a second before regaining his wits and nodding. That was a gross over charge and he knew it. He was just trying to get back at the plant for treating him like a lower being, but here he was realizing that this thing had deeper pockets than he'd originally assumed.

"You two, come on." Zetsu gestured to the two fellow ninja. The nodded and followed after him to the landing ramp, which after the press of a button, lowered to the deck. They'd already packed what was theirs and placed it by the door, so Naruto simply picked the bags up and walked out last, letting Zetsu go first and then Hinata.

Zetsu heard the ramp close and the ship power up its repulsorlifts for takeoff. Zetsu was sure he'd never see that man again.

He continued walking until he reached a cross-armed Deidara, the sight of whom made Naruto tense up. The blonde bomber simply looked at the two newcomers and scoffed. "You seriously think I'm gonna let _them_ have a free ride back to HQ? I still haven't forgotten about this, h'n," he said pointing to his cheek.

Naruto shrugged. "Can you really blame me?"

"Yes, I _can!_" He replied, reaching into his clay pouch suddenly, frustration evident on his face. Naruto instantly pulled out a kunai and prepared himself, not having forgot about Hinata beside him. But surprisingly, the mediator came in the form of Zetsu who stepped between them.

"**Deidara, put your grudges aside, for now.** You seemed to be fine with this mission when it was assigned to you." The Akatsuki spy commented.

Deidara withdrew his hand and cross his arms over his chest. "Yeah, well I didn't know who _exactly_ I was being sent to pick up." He said, glaring disdainfully at the Jinchūriki.

"Just get them to Pain and be done with it. **And **_**don't**_** push them off,"** Zetsu warned. Deidara huffed as his comrade melted into the ground, leaving the three alone.

After a few silent, and needless to say awkward moments that involved Naruto looking from Deidara to the city around him nervously, Deidara sighed and walked over to the edge of the platform. Naruto and Hinata followed.

The Akatsuki bomber raised his hands to look at his palms as the mouths on them chewed thoughtfully. A few seconds later he spit the small mounds of clay out and began molding them. Hinata tried to look over his shoulder to see what he was doing. She had yet to get over her surprise that someone so young could be an S-class criminal and a member of Akatsuki no less. She'd heard of a few members and of their powers, but she'd never heard of this man.

Deidara looked at his newest artworks with a smirk and tossed them into the air. There was a poof of smoke and the flapping wings of the two birds blew it away. Deidara hopped on the closest one without hesitation Naruto following on the other bird not a second later, having guessed their mode of transportation back to wherever the Akatsuki were using as their headquarters.

Hinata blinked in surprise and hesitated. Deidara spared her only the briefest of passing glances. "Unless you want to get left up here alone, I'd suggest you get on. H'n."

Hinata promptly jumped onto the one where her love had landed and he caught her. Deidara shook his head in annoyance and commanded the birds forward. Even as they took off, he sat down cross-legged, resting his head on his left hand and looking out bored at the city's horizon. At the sudden movement, Naruto instantly sat Hinata down in front of him with him behind her and holding onto her.

The duo of birds soared gently through the sky, the winds whipping by them and chilling them. All except for Deidara, whom Naruto assumed was at this elevation only to spite them. Though while it would be appropriate that such thoughts were passing through the young man's mind, he was actually rather preoccupied with his slight blush. _'Damn that brat and his girlfriend! How can she seriously be dressed like that, h'n? What's he trying to do, give me a nosebleed?'_

He quickly shook his head from those thoughts though as they entered the busier skylanes of the district. Here Deidara lazily stood from his warm seat and stoically stood against the wind as he piloted the two clay fowls between the speeding traffic and down to a nearby causeway. Without warning, both birds exploded into smoke and they fell to the ground. Deidara, having been prepared for it landed easily, but for Naruto and Hinata who had not been ready for it, they both fell to the ground, Naruto just barely able to position himself to land them both without injury. Naruto glared at the Akatsuki's back but it went unnoticed as the other blonde was already walking away, knowing they had no choice but to follow.

* * *

"_That's it, I'm buggin' out!"_

Lethal watched as another ship, a battleship no less, vanished into warp to prepare for a double-back to the station now directly behind him and every other able member of Onyx. It was so mundane; firing missile after goddamn missile into space, only to watch as more ships emerged from the explosion they caused. Like a massive amoebic blob, the enemy fleet pushed forward, shrugging off the increasingly diminishing torrent of weapon fire of the capsuleers. But even Lethal's powerful shields were beginning to weaken from the consistent red beams of energy. He was already getting ready to overheat all weapons, thereby increasing their fire rate, when a sudden flash of light drew his attention. The battleship that had just left the battlefield had returned only to be immediately assaulted again before he could get to the protection of the outpost's shields. It exploded in a blinding explosion.

"_Damn it!"_ The pilot's voice came over the com. Lethal would have sighed if he could. Unfortunately, he was far too preoccupied at the moment. Dozens of injured and limping ships crawled over to nearby allies to shield themselves from enemy fire. Fires burned from oxygen leaking into space and innumerable shards of metal and ships split in half littered that area, and the smaller ships began using those carcasses for cover as they strafed across the defense field.

But even so, more and more azure explosions sprang to life, and with them more and more escape pods littered the area, desperately trying to get back in the defensive shield of the outpost. Lethal barely even realized the number of ships left in the fleet.

'_Twenty ships? Bloody fuck! Where are those idiots? We're getting murdered out here!'_

He half expected the cliché entrance of a fleet of friendly ships to warp in and save the day, but as the seconds ticked by, none came. But what _did_ happen that raised an eyebrow (whether he realized it or not) was the sudden cessation of fire from the enemy fleet. One second they were firing, the next they simply stopped. And then to his utter amazement, they turned around and accelerated into hyperspace.

But no one cheered their retreat. No one smiled in relief. They all knew it wasn't their victory. Lethal reluctantly ordered friendly ships head inside the shield and repair themselves with what meager equipment they could find. Lethal had a hard time working his way through the debris field and could feel the rough touch of cold hull on his shields as if it were his skin.

But as his shields passed through those projected by the outpost, he felt no safer than he had before. _'Why would a force that out numbers us nearly ten to one suddenly retreat for no reason?'_ He thought to himself. It was simply incredible.

But the sudden voice that came over the coms caused him to turn his camera drones back out to the battlefield.

"_Attention all Onyx pilots. The cavalry has arrived!"_

The announcement was responded with thunderous roars from every member whether they were docked, in pods or floating in space. And then the appearance of nearly eighty friendly ships decelerating from warp sent the spirits of the men and women higher than an addict on Mindflood. And it wasn't just the pilots; the crews and workers aboard ships, the outpost and its modules all cheered with one another.

Lethal felt relief wash over him as he recognized the insignias of Jonathan Yuron and Yoma Yun's corporations. But the next thing he recognized would have caught the air in his lungs, if there were any air in them at all. The red cloud insignia of Red Sun Rising, the parent corporation of Akatsuki and the strongest of the ten corporations.

"Bloody 'bout time you got here!" He said, shaking off the feeling that just formed in his gut.

"_Sorry Alen, it took us a while to form a fleet of this size."_ Yoma's said jovially. _"Geez, can't you even keep those scrapheaps of yours intact?"_ He asked mockingly, obviously talking about the hulks of dead ships floating around.

"Up yours you twat, it's your fault for being late." Lethal said laughing as he did so.

"_Fair enough, fair enough."_

"_Heeeyy Alen! Your alive!" _Jonathan, AKA Empowered, interjected as the fleet moved toward the outpost.

"No thanks to your lethargic bum." Lethal retorted.

"_Hey, we're here now, right?"_

"_Barely…"_

All three of them laughed, Lethal obviously in relief for having back up at last. But their little moment was disrupted by the next voice that entered their private chat channel. "Mehmit. This is Pain. Have your men head back to the wormhole and get new ships from Empire Space as well as the supplies on the list I'm sending you." Lethal felt the trickle of information fill his brain and he responded in the affirmative.

"Yup, I'm on it."

"Also," Pain continued. "You said in your report that the unknown enemies used a unique type of drive system for propulsion. I assume you've experimented at least a little bit with that?"

"Yes, we've done a little bit here and there, but recently we've had more… pressing matters to deal with. In a nutshell, our ships can't handle the high speeds. We'll need more sturdy materials and overhaul our ships with it. Apparently, some factories we set up on the planet when we got here are extracting the needed materials." He sent a silent thank you to Black Lister for bringing the equipment for mineral extraction.

"Do you have any ships already fitted with them, say a shuttle for instance?" Pain asked again.

Thinking he wanted them to begin testing, Lethal replied, "Yeah we have a few shuttles fitted for testing, but is it safe at this point in time? They could attack again."

"I doubt they'll attack again for a while. The reason they retreated from here is because we feinted their rear guard, and with our numbers they couldn't ignore us lest they risk a rear assault. A simple 'plow through their fleet until you get a clear jump to the outpost' was all we needed to deal enough damage on our way here."

Lethal would have raised his eyebrows in surprise if he were in control of them. Pain actually wasn't a bad fleet commander.

"But moving on…" He continued.

"Right," Lethal said. "If that's true then we can begin testing immediately."

"Good. I expect results." Pain said with finality. Lethal directed his camera drones around his ship to find Pain's ship, and was, to say the very least, astonished to see an Imperial Issue Apocalypse. Suddenly, Lethal felt very wise for having approved of Pain's proof of leadership.

* * *

Night had reached its peak on Coruscant, though by the light dancing across the horizon, you'd never have guessed it was midnight. God Realm stood by a full wall of glass on one of the top floors of the extravagant apartment building that reached high above the clouds. He had just received confirmation that Zetsu had arrived and droped the kids off with Deidara who was in his way here. It wasn't long before he could sense Deidara approaching and only a minute or two later he could actually see them. But they were not what was currently on his mind. An hour or so ago, he felt a familiar presence enter his mind, but… it was strange; it was as if he knew the presence, but it somehow remained out of his reach, like a butterfly taunting a child as it danced around it.

It was familiar, almost painfully so. And that's what made it all the more interesting. It would take some investigating but he would find out what it was. Madara would probably know, but he didn't want to bother him as he was off doing his own thing, add to it he had a gut feeling that he _shouldn't_ tell him. Why he didn't know, but he'd learned to go with his gut over the many years he'd been alive.

But he had more pressing matters to attend to, such as introducing himself to the young Hyuuga girl and pacifying the Kyuubi child. He could feel Deidara coming closer and with him would be the other two. It would be hard to convince either of his true intentions, but once he did, anyone else they met would trust the boy and the girl both, leading to easy negotiations.

The trouble was, of course, that the Kyuubi Jinchūriki would be difficult to appease. The girl, based off of what Zetsu had briefly described of her, would probably go along with whatever he decided.

Pain turned and walked out to the veranda provided with the lavish apartment they had rented. Konan was sleeping in the next room over where he had Gakidō (Preta Realm) and Chikushōdō (Animal Realm) guarding he so he needn't fear for her safety.

He heard a hissing sound behind him and turned to see the main room, which was visible from the veranda, open. In walked an obviously sulking Deidara and distrustful Naruto. The Hyuuga was a blank card; he couldn't quite read what emotion was flitting through her mind. Nevertheless, he moved forward from the balcony and into the main room to greet them, the glass door closing behind him.

Deidara simple stepped forward with his hands deep in his clay pouches, serving as pockets in this particular instance and said simply, "Am I done?"

Pain nodded a "yeah" and watched as a thankful Deidara quickly turned and strode out of the room, closing the automated door behind him.

The door hissed shut, leaving the three in silence. It permeated the air for a few seconds, with Pain simply staring at them, observing them. Naruto glared at him in the eyes, and the girl's eyes seemed to find anywhere to look other than his disorienting Rinnegan rings.

"Uzumaki Naruto. A pleasure to meet you in person." Pain said at last. There was a sudden gust of wind and he found Naruto's fist not a centimeter from his face. But he did not flinch; did not quiver. His simply stared impassively as Naruto's eye widened at having been stopped.

"It would be unwise to fight here, Uzumaki. Especially considering the collateral I could use at the moment." He didn't turn his eyes away from Naruto's, but the unspoken threat to Hinata did not go unnoticed. Naruto reluctantly retracted his fist from the invisible wall that had blocked him.

"Why did you bring us here?" Naruto asked at last.

"Dozens of us have been transported here. The cause is unknown however, and since we're obviously no longer in our own world, it would be unwise to make enemies when we're obviously struggling to survive. I'm sure Zetsu told you, did he not?"

"You want us to all band together against the elements basically. What makes you think we can trust you?" Naruto answered bitterly.

"You can't. Not entirely anyways. But to extract the Kyuubi now would be a pointless waste of effort. At the moment, you're more valuable alive."

Naruto, while he didn't really want to ask for fear of attracting unwanted attention to his girl, couldn't help but ask, "Then why allow Hinata to come with me?"

Naruto could've sworn he saw Pain smirk, but it was so slight he couldn't be sure. "Would you rather I had Zetsu leave her on Tatooine? Or perhaps we should have sold her into slavery. We're running short on prostitutes after all." Pain stated simply.

Naruto dashed forward and grabbed Pain but the collar. "You touch her, and it'll be the last thing you ever do!" He said menacingly.

"There's your answer."

Naruto's eyes widened a little, realizing Pain let Hinata stay with him only because he _wanted_ her with him. "Why do us any favors?" Naruto questioned skeptically.

"Strategic planning takes preparation." Pain said cryptically, turning away from them and heading deeper into the room to an array of seats and couches. "Have a seat."

Naruto reluctantly followed and did so, patting the seat next to him for Hinata to sit. She did so, slightly numb that she was only with Naruto at the moment by this man's whim. That was slightly humbling.

"Putting hostilities aside, if you can," Pain began, "we can begin relations in earnest. At the moment, the majority of Akatsuki is out and about making their merry way. Anything to get funds flowing. Slavery, weapons shipping, smuggling, assassinations, bounty hunting… etcetera."

Pain noticed Naruto's slight growl when he mentioned slavery. "You probably can't understand the scope of what we're doing unless you understand what we do. If you want, I can give you knowledge of this place we find ourselves in."

Naruto felt another presence in the room and turned to see who it was. Leaning up against a nearby support column stood Human Realm, on of Pain's sneakiest bodies. Naruto had fought Pain only once before, and that was only three of the supposed six that he had. Human Realm had been one of them. He turned back to God Realm and was about to refuse when a gentle voice spoke up from beside him.

"We accept."

Naruto turned to look at Hinata incredulously. She didn't look at him, but rather at Pain, her eyes sharp and strong. Pain raised an eyebrow at this, but did not say anything.

"Don't fear, my dear Kyuubi. It only kills you when you extract information, not implanting it." Pain said in a somewhat reassuring manner. Human Realm walked up to the two from behind and placed a hand on each of their heads. Naruto visibly twitched at the contact. Hinata noticed and placed her hand over his. He looked her in the eyes and saw that she wasn't afraid. Why, he had no idea, but he decided that perhaps he should follow _her_ lead for once. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes steeling himself for the pain that accompanied information transference.

Pain took this as his cue and began the process.

Neither Naruto nor Hinata were ready for the sheer onslaught of information that was suddenly and forcefully injected into their minds. Naruto all of a sudden realized this was more information than any one person in one lifetime could possibly gather. He briefly wondered how many people died at Pain's hands to learn all of this, but it didn't last long before Pain's hands left his and his love's heads.

He opened his eyes warily. He looked at the Pain in front of him curiously and then collapsed, his mind temporarily shutting down to adapt to the new information. Hinata had already been knocked out during the transfer, but that didn't stop the transfer.

Pain simply stared at the two teens and shook his head, getting up and flipping Naruto over his shoulder, as Human Realm picked Hinata up as one would a young child and took them to a small bedroom. Entering and placing them on the bed together, he took a moment to contemplate on his kind's current positions. Until they found a way to get back to their home, if there was one, they would need to band together, no matter how controversial their relationships might be, lest they be picked off by the scum of the galaxy.

That was why he had the Akatsuki doing all manner of things for money. By forming a worthy organization for this galaxy, he would be able to create peace for his people. It didn't matter how much pain the denizens of this galaxy had to go through, they weren't his kind. They meant nothing to him. This galaxy was a harsh place, and the people of his world would need a haven from such a rough place.

Akatsuki would be that haven; a place of peace in a galaxy of pain.

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it! Another chapter down, and another chapter closer to discovering the mystery of Pain! Comments and questions are appreciated! At least let me know if you like it or not.**

**If you're confused about anything, don't hesitate to bring it to my attention, and I'll do my best to clear it up without revealing too much of the future plot (I have to have at least SOME surprises after all).**

**Leave your comments on the way out and don't forget to throw your flames out in the nearest trash receptacle. Till next time!**

**~K.H. **

**P.S. I only got nine reviews last time. Lets try to at the very least 2x it. It'd make me bewy happy :D**


	11. Chapter 11: Revelations

**A/N: Heeeyo! How's it goin' peeps! Guess what! IT'S THANKSGIVING BREAK! OH YEAH! WOOOOOOTT! Why am I so excited? Because I have for your all's enjoyment A MASSIVELY LONG CHAPTER! It's to commemorate the holiday if you didn't guess yet. Anyway, it took me many a day to finish this piece of work, and I'm quite proud of it. Took me forever and it may have gotten stale in some placed, but it does its job right I think. I'm rather disappointed though; only six reviews for my last chapter. I don't know if that's because I uploaded the last two chapters one after the other (and I mean like within a week of each other) or whether it was a bad chapter, but I'd really like it if you all would comment on how I'm doing. It really does help. And try to make it more wordy than just "Hey good job! Can't wait 'till next time!" It makes me feel good, but doesn't help me improve. And on the subject:**

**Ty to **marc, Kage Bijuu, Sdarian, Eipok, Frostius, **and** Thoketan-XER298-RedRover. **See? Short list :( I'm sad. **

**Onto the story!**

**P.S. Did I mention I have a girlfriend now? :D Yay!**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Revelations**

Darkness. That was all Naruto could see. But the darkness was gradually replaced by a fuzzy feeling of awakening, as if he had just awoken from a long sleep. The images around him were blurry and unclear, but he could catch small glimpses of advanced technology; consoles and monitors, gurneys and people. The room he was in was shaded in a cool blue that seemed to emanate from large cylinders along the walls. He blinked, trying to clear his eyes of their sleep, but when he opened them again, the scene had changed completely. Now he was standing on a large balcony over viewing a massive gathering of people. The halls of golden light permeated the entire gathering. There was a muffled chorus of words every so often, and he squinted to see who this multitude could be, and why they were there.

He blinked again. This time, there was a figure standing next to him, seemingly familiar, yet different somehow. He could make out that it was looking at him, and as his eyes slowly focus in, he could see that it was a girl. She turned away from him saying something he couldn't discern. He looked in the direction she had and saw that same benign herd of people. All of a sudden, he felt a warm spread through his body as if joy were literally injected into his system. But then he blinked again, and he felt as if he were floating in the air. He felt like a bird, slowly soaring through the darkened, cloudless skies. And then a great agony ripped through his body that caused him to to cry out in pain, but all he could hear was a muffled whisper. A shadow crossed his vision and he looked towards it, only to see the face of some creature bearing down on him, its face engraved with a permanent whale of agony. The face grew bright as light emanated from it, and his vision pin wheeled, only adding to the dementia as the face's radiance erupted in a blinding flash.

Again, there was darkness. But this time, it slowly faded into a dim, early morning light. Now his vision cleared completely and found he was staring at a ceiling. He blinked. Nothing happened. He blinked again. Again nothing. He looked around, his eyes now sharp as a hawk's as he took in every detail of the room he was in. Its walls were curved and smooth, with rounded edges where it connected to the ceiling and the floor. It was bluish in color, with thick horizontal stripes of the same color splashed half way up the wall. There were few pictures on them, and what he could see was foreign to him. Turning to one side, he saw a small bed stand that held a series of paper shapes. Upon closer inspection he found they were origami. He furrowed his brows and tried to sit up, using his elbows to prop himself up. Reaching over and grabbing one of the creations, he saw it was a wolf-like animal, though it easily could have been a fox. He blinked again. _'A fox...' _He looked at it again hesitantly before placing it back with the other masterful foldings. It was then he noticed a pressure on his right side. Turning to the other side, he found a figure gently wrapped in the silk sheets. Its back was to him and it was still. Leaning over slightly to see its face, he found that it was Hinata. Her midnight blue hair spilled out beneath her even as she breathed softly, he facial expressions set in a peaceful manner. Whatever she was dreaming, it must have been calm.

He smiled softly. Reaching over, he stroked her cheek, feeling its warmth against his cooling skin. He blinked again. His face adopted a look of concern. Looking around again, he tried to think of how he got here and why, but nothing came. _'Why am I here...?'_ He questioned himself mentally. Calmly sitting up against the headboard, he took a more analytical look around. It was obviously some sort of apartment, but he didn't know where. There was a door at the far end of the room. It was made of metal, almost steel as it reflected to clouded sky of pre-cloud-break. Looking to his right, beyond Hinata, he could see another nightstand, covered with similar paper items, and the wall on that side was a full window, covered by beige blinds that filtered the room in a calming gray.

Slowly, he pulled the covers back, still looking at the room. As he slipped his legs out from them and to the floor, he noticed something. He was wearing boxers and black tee. But they felt almost... new. As if they were just being "broken" in so to speak. He furrowed his brow in confusion, but not quite alarm. He looked back to Hinata as if she held the answer to his questions, but turned back to himself. Shrugging it off, he slowly pushed himself up onto his feet, his muscle groaning and stretching in protest. He moaned in discomfort as his muscle tissue slowly adjusted to his movements. Leaning back, he reached his arms out and stretched, rolling his neck and shaking his hands, trying to get some blood flowing through them. Looking back to Hinata, he went over and pulled the covered that he had inadvertently pulled off of her back to her cover her bare shoulders. She ever so slightly melted into them, relaxing in their warmth.

He smiled as he watched her. It was almost pacifying to watch her. He honestly could stay like this for hours, simply watching her sleep in peace, but he knew he couldn't. Turning back to the door, he walked up to it and saw a small electronic panel with buttons on it. Pressing one the door opened to reveal an elongated living room that was surrounded by windows on all sides and the arched ceiling. It was covered with comfortable looking furniture. They were colored in the shades of beige to brown, while the rug floor was a deep and vibrant blue. In the middle of the room was a coffee table of sorts. On one side of it was a futon and on the other side was a large couch. Directly to his left was a small kitchen, and on his right was a decent sized table with enough room to seat six. Further to his left was another hallway, but this one was all metal with doors along the wall. Figuring they were more rooms, he ignored them and walked into the encompassing living room, looking out at the clearing sky and the ships that passed by in the distance. His eyes weren't wide; for some reason he wasn't amazed to see them, or the magnificent view beyond. Instead, he was more worried about where he was. Hinata was here so obviously he wasn't kidnapped, and even if they were, he was pretty sure no kidnapper would give them such great accommodations.

He could tell the place was quality and probably expensive, so it must have been someone with at least decently sized pockets. The abrupt sound of a throat being cleared sent him spinning to see who it was. What he saw was Konan standing of to the side, having come from the windowless hall, confirming his belief that it contained more rooms. Her blue hair was accented by the room perfectly, and the black and red cloak also contrasted well. These colors all combined to make the place seem inviting and calming, somehow.

"I see you're finally awake." She said in a clear voice. He looked at her suspiciously. Why wasn't he dead?

"Where am I?" He asked, his stance wide and ready, just i case he needed to fight his way out of there. _'Wherever _this_ is.'_

"You don't remember?" She asked, surprise somewhat evident in her voice.

Naruto's resulting silence was her answer. She sighed. "Here, sit," she said, gesturing to the couch in the center of the room. He reluctantly did so. She sat across from him on the futon, her back position proper and reminiscent of high-class society, as opposed to his in which he was leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees and his fingers intertwined with each other.

"What's the last thing you remember?" She asked him simply.

He looked down at his hands for a minute or two before shaking his head. "I remember... a desert... and Hinata. There was this slug thing too." As the images flashed through his mind, more seemed to appear, as if his mind slowly began remembering what happened. "I rescued her... And then Zetsu found us and took us on a ship here." He tried to remember more but that was only fuzziness. He could vaguely see Pain's face, and then a splitting headache. That was all.

Fortunately, Konan seemed to be willing to fill in the blanks. "When you arrived here, Pain offered to give you information about this place: Languages, technologies, vehicles, planets, and indigenous peoples to name a few."

Naruto blinked again. Attempting to access information on what Konan said Pain gave him, he realized she was right; he hadn't been surprised by the scene outside because he understood what it all was, and he knew exactly how to use the door panel in the bedroom. He shook his head as if trying to see whether the knowledge he now possessed was real or not. But he was not given time to resolve the fact, as Konan spoke up again. "It seems your friend is awake as well."

Naruto blinked at her, wondering who she was talking about. The hissing of an opening door drew his attention back to the door he'd come from. In its frame stood the most beautiful creature he'd ever see. Hinata stood there, sleepily rubbing an eye. The other was halfway lidded as if she were waking up after a long, casual night. She would an amazing cream colored evening gown that reached her knees and was loose, but form-fitting enough to accentuate her figure. It was a tad thin, but did not place emphasis on the erotic, but rather one the comfortable. He could see the form of her thin stomach and lower chest, and he could barely see the form of her breasts. But his view was zoomed out to admire all of her in his dumb-struck, slack jawed, wide-eyed expression. Konan glanced at him from the side of her vision and _almost _smiled at his reaction.

Hinata's sleepy moan disturbed him from his reverie. "Naruto-kun...?" She mumbled, bringing the hand she'd been using to rub her eye back down to her side. She simply stood there, almost half asleep in her appearance. Naruto suddenly got up and walked to her, stopping a foot in front of her. He was gain=zing directly at her face. While normally she'd become a bit flustered at his direct and so attentive attention, her drowsy condition rendered her mind considerably unconcerned about her usual shyness. He was looking at her directly in the face, but slowly looked her up and down, as if unsure that such a gorgeous woman (he simply couldn't call her a girl when she looked like this) could exist, and better yet, belong to him. Unsure of what he was supposed to do now that he was here, he slowly, and with only slight awkwardness, wrapped his arms around her and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"Morning sleepy-head," he said not quite sure what else he _could_ have said. She sluggishly reacted and let her hands slink around his waist. Her pale eyes were blank, as if she wasn't staring at anything, and this was normal. But her acute orbs _did _not miss the other female in the room. Suddenly her eyes hardened into a fierce, territorial scowl, and her arm amazingly regain some of their lost strength and squeezed Naruto harder. He noticed this and tried to pull back to look her in the eyes and see what was wrong, but her grip only tightened. He did manage to bend his back enough to look at her eyes, which weren't on him, which surprised him, but were looking past him. He was just beginning to look in the direction she was when he remembered the Akatsuki in the room. Taking his right hand and bringing it to her face, he directed her gaze onto him, which caused her eyes to soften considerably.

"Hina, it's ok. She's... helping us," he said, and then mentally added, _'I think,'_ to his explanation. "She's helping me to remember what happened last night."

Hinata's gaze softened and looked at him concerned. "You don't remember?" She asked worriedly.

"You do?" He responded.

She nodded her head. "Of course I remember everything. That Pain person injected memories into us. How come you don't remember?"

Naruto had no answer for that, but it didn't matter since Konan decided to pipe in. "Regardless, you two have some adapting to do. Foreign information injected into one's mind tends to cause adverse effects on their day to day lives. It _can _turn into a type of trauma, but most likely will not," she said looking the both of them in the eye." Like I told Naruto, Pain placed knowledge of this galaxy's languages, technologies, locations, and peoples. However, it is still extremely limited in the broad scope of things here."

Hinata felt an odd sensation as images and information of each subject she mentioned pooped into her head as if she'd always known them. Konan continued in a more serious tone. "Also, you both have been asleep for nearly a week."

Both of the teen's eyes widened in astonishment. Had the strain that had been put on their minds been so great that they'd fallen unconscious for that long? "You might also have noticed you're wearing different clothes than you were before." They both looked at each other and then down at themselves, each having the decency to blush at not only their current apparel in the presence of each other (Hinata considerably more so than Naruto) , but also for the realization that someone had dressed them while they were asleep for those seven days.

"You needn't worry; we've been having skilled medical assistants come in every day to monitor you both. Unfortunately, both of your clothes were in great disrepair. As such new night clothes were decided for you. I hope you don't mind."

Naruto looked at her with a sarcastic but still embarrassed look. "Oh that's not awkward at all, is it?"

Hinata, for her part, was holding up considerably well for realizing she'd been dressed by another person like a child, and that her current garments were far too revealing for her comfort. Had she been alone, it wouldn't have bothered her, but in the presence of her love...

"Do you not find them satisfactory?" Konan asked Hinata as she could see the girl's embarrassed state. The Hyuuga heiress shook her head and tried her best to smile while desperately trying to hide herself from Naruto's view. "N-not, not at all A-akatuski-san, it's j-just t-they're a b-bit revealing..."

Konan gained a look of understanding, but her expression was still impassive. "I understand. However, from one female to another, I'll offer you some advice." She leaned in to the surprised Hyuuga and whispered, "it will only pique his interest in you more. Trust me."

Hinata blushed crimson as thoughts of Naruto admiring the intimate arts of her body entered her mind, but before Konan could withdraw her head she responded said, "T-that may be true, b-but I want Naruto to love me for me. And if he likes my b-body then t-that's good too," finished with a resolute tone, but embarrassed speech. Konan smirked at the girl; she certainly did have her priorities straight. Either way, she didn't have any other evening wear yet, so she would take pleasure in the girl's discomfort for a while longer.

"And my name is Konan, Hinata-san. Please refer to me by that from now on." Hinata nodded her head, in obedience. Somehow, the idea that the woman was an S-class criminal made her think that Konan was above her in status and authority. Normally she wouldn't have bothered with a title at all, but with them trying to become neutral, of not allied to each other sparked a sense of respect for them. But if the woman did anything to try and hurt her Naruto-kun, then she'd have another thing coming!

"Anyway," Konan began, "your new clothes will be delivered to you shortly. In the meantime, try not to strain yourselves with your new knowledge." With that she slid past them and into the adjacent hallway, which actually had a massive door that closed behind her, leaving the two alone in the large windowed living room. A silence permeated the room for quite a few moments before Naruto gently directed the girl to the couch. She followed numbly, still trying to cope with the new information in her head, her embarrassment regarding her current appearance in front of Naruto, and her still hazy thoughts of where they were and what had happened the night- no... _week_ before. But amidst all of that was Naruto's calm, guiding hand. She accepted the seat he provided for her. He smiled at her mixed expression, being sure to respect her privacy considering her outfit, knowing how mortified she must be right now to be dressed like that in front of him. As fortune would have it, there was a blanket on the back of the sofa she was sitting on and he grabbed it and wrapped it around her. She smiled at him gratefully.

The fact that he was still in his boxers didn't evade their minds though, but with Naruto having slept with her in them before, it wasn't as embarrassing for either of them. What _was_ embarrassing was that Hinata had never _seen_ him in them. Before, he'd slipped in behind her to avoid said embarrassment. But when she looked at him now, he looked almost casual, as if he were more comfortable with being in them in front of her than she was being in her night gown in front of him. She supposed it was normal, since guys rarely cared as much as girls do about that sort of thing.

So she sat there, those thoughts filling her mind, as Naruto turned around and set about fixing them something for breakfast.

* * *

"Pain, they've awakened," Konan reported from behind the stoic man.

He was silent. He was leaned over, his chin resting on his folded hands, supported by his elbows on his knees. He barely acknowledged her presence. He'd been contemplating what had happened two days earlier. It had thrown him for a loop at first, but it explained a lot. He was seated in a small, but lavish room that was decorated for primarily VIPs and senators. Fortunately, Pain had gathered enough money for them to live here for a while. _'Not that money is an issue anymore,'_ he mused.

It was walled in by wood-covered steel. A large ornate fireplace was off to the side and burned with a transfixing multi-colored flame that came from a unique type of wood that had to be imported to the planet. A large abstract painting hung above the mantle. The entire wall opposite the door was a massive holo-window that could project any view he wished or act like a normal window and show what was really outside. Currently, it showed a burning blue world covered in lightning and storms. Flashes of light and the rolling of winds streaked across its surface as it floated freely in space.

A bed lay off to the side, a type of silk bedspread pulled back and left abandoned from where he woke up three hours earlier. "I'll speak to them in a bit. Let them get acquainted with their new environment... and knowledge."

Konan nodded and went over to sit across from him. He sat on an onyx couch that faced the large panoramic window. In front of him was a wooden coffee table with a set of exotic flowers, and on the other side of that was a duo of comfortable chairs. It was in one of these that Konan relaxed, staring at his impassive face with interest. "Thing's will be different now," she said.

Pain shook his head. "They would have been different anyway. This is just a different type of different."

Konan thought about that before gazing into the beautiful fire. "I don't suppose you're just going to inject the information into them again."

"...No. They've only just rediscovered each other. I don't want to ruin that for my cousin, or cousin in law." He replied.

"Then how will you communicate it to them?" She asked curiously.

"I'll tell them. They can know of their past without needing the actual memories. Besides..." He looked up to meet her eyes, his Rinnegan pulsing with power and knowledge. "We don't want them to have to relive the pain we've all suffered."

Konan nodded to that, her face taking on a sad expression. "I can't disagree with that. I wish you'd never shown me our past myself." Pain said nothing to that. She continued after a moment, "But, I understand why you had no choice. I needed to know. They don't. When will you tell them then?"

"Later this afternoon. I don't want to wait too long."

Konan nodded and stood. "I'll leave you to your thoughts then."

Pain grunted an acknowledgment. But as she opened the door to leave he called out to her one more time. "Konan..." She turned to see the back of his head, his solid orange hair broken only by the back of his headband tie. "Don't tell Madara." She nodded, and even though he was facing the other way, she knew he knew she did. The closed with a _*swoosh.*_

Alone again, Pain let his thoughts drift slowly back to what had happened only a day and a half ago...

_Flashback:_

_Pain slowly walked down the sparsely crowded pavilion. It was a higher level of Coruscant than most beings used, for this was in the more expensive region of the planet. Mainly only very important people like senators, lords, ladies, and the numerous rich persons used these walkways. As such, the security was high, with camera droids buzzing all around, but not to the point of annoyance. Most had no fear of being assassinated in an area like this, but bounty hunters were clever creatures, and they always found _some_ way to beat the system. Still, it was the safest area to be in if one wanted security. However, Pain liked it because, well, he was a _god_ after all. It was only appropriate he walk in such a place. Of course, it was high up too, and it gave him a perfect vantage point to control his other bodies. Naturally he kept hem close by watching the walkways for dangers. He felt absolutely secure in this place, but he knew he still had t keep a weather eye open for potential hostiles. _

_It was for this reason, and this reason alone, that he was able to detect the rapidly approaching threat. Spinning suddenly, and disturbing the few pedestrians walking nearby. He was just in time to see a cloaked figure lunging toward him, his hand nearly on his throat. Then, i an instant he was blown backwards several dozen feet by an invisible wall. Pain's expression didn't show any signs of surprise or fear. _

'Five seconds...' _The man quickly got up and charged again. Dodging the man's strikes, which he had to admit were expertly thrown, he managed to leap away and latched onto the side of a nearby wall. He _was_ surprised however when the man didn't stop and simply ran up the wall after him. _'A chakra user?' _Pain wondered in earnest. _

_Suddenly he found himself assaulted by the incredibly agile figure. However, the figure was outnumbered. A series of missiles came screaming towards them both, to which Pain used **Shinra Tensei **to blast himself off the wall at the last instant before the missiles exploded. He landed on the walkway gracefully, followed by Asura Realm right behind him, his arm locking in place from where it had shot its missiles. The pedestrians were now scurrying away in fear calling for the authorities. But the figure wasn't finished. He fell from the smoke and landed with light grace that Pain could respect. He held out his hand and shot another telekinetic blast at the attacker who was blown away, but lathed himself to the metal walkway as best her could. _

_When the blast was gone, he dashed to the side and jumped over the railing. Asura went to investigate. Upon looking over, its sight was instantly blinded by a flash bomb thrown directly at it. Pain had time to shield his own eyes, but not so for Asura. It was blinded and would remain so for a while. Two more bodies landed next to him; Human Realm and Animal Realm. He had to hurry and capture this ninja before the authorities did, and he could already hear the sirens in the distance. _

_Sending both bodies forward, along with God Realm's, he aimed on disabling him. But the figure dodged every attack as if he knew it was coming. All of a sudden, Pain felt that strange sense he had before, like someone was connecting with his mind, but he could not tell who it was. But as he watched the figure, he became all the more convinced that it was the culprit. A swift kick to the jaw send Human Realm into the ground, and quick duck saved him from Asura's bladed wrists. Kicking backwards and up, he nailed Asura in the chest and sent him sky born. He charged at God Realm. _

_Animal Realm summoned several dog-sized lizards that rushed forward doing their best to snare the being. But it easily evaded them, and slipped past Animal Realm's black blade. Nothing stood between him and the figure. "**Shinra Tensei.**" Another telekinetic wall blasted into the figure, only for him to poof into smoke._

_'Kage Bunshin?' He just managed to glance behind him as the figure's hand reached out and gripped his orange hair tightly. Pain already had a chakra blade prepared to stab the figure when his mind was suddenly assaulted by information. Tons, and tons of information, and as it rushed through his mind, and by consequence, through every mind connected to it, he began to see it wasn't just information, but _memories_. _

_It was over as soon as it began. Pains Rinnegan eyes were wide with wonder and astonishment: it all made sense now. But in that moment he realized something. Looking deep into the shadows of the figures cowl he could see the numerous piercings on his face, and bleached orange hair, and the Rinnegan eyes. His eyes widened even more. But the figure suddenly let go of his head and dove over the railing. All four Pains ran to the edge to see where he went only to catch him making hand signs and then vaporizing into the air, barely leaving even ash to float through the air he had once occupied. God Realm's eyes hardened. _

_The memories he'd been given from that other Pain were beginning to settle, and he could sift through them at a later date. For now, the sirens of the authorities were growing louder, and escape was primary at the moment. All four bodies vanished into the darkness of the street._

_Flashback end_

And so here he was sitting alone, sorting through the memories he'd given himself. It all made sense now. How they got here, why they couldn't remember what happened... it was all crystal clear. He would have to share this with his cousin as soon as possible. But first, there was something he needed to do.

* * *

**System name: Omore  
Region: Unknown Regions  
Sovereignty: Akatsuki Alliance  
Security Level: N/A**

"It's been nearly a week and still no word from Pain." Came the voice of Rayta Werdin, CEO of Vertigo Corp. It had been nearly five days ago they had finally found the right metals to outfit their ships with to withstand the stresses of "hyperspace." And it was on that same day that Pain, took one of those shuttles and vanished. They hadn't heard from him since.

"If he died in transit then were fucked." Exclaimed Ector Aranous.

In that week, Rayta and Ector had moved a series of advance guards into the wormhole, along with themselves, to provide additional defenses to the Jonathan and Yoma's initial forces, and to bolster Alen's nearly destroyed fleet. They'd been able to bring in some supplies for creating more ships with the meager resources they had. It was a daunting task; rebuilding a fleet of nearly a hundred ships, not to mention the modules for the ships themselves, such as weapons and defenses. But by now with over five hundred ships defending the outpost, any and all attacks by the Unknowns were now futile gestures. The only problem was that there now wasn't nearly enough room in the hanger for the pilots.

That meant that nearly four hundred ships now loitered around the outpost, frequently being sent on patrols around the system. There was good news to this though. With this many pilots, mining operations were being started in the asteroids. Strip miners were sent in large groups to collect every last morsel of materials from the floating rocks. Alen, had intended to start moon mining, but the equipment hadn't been brought through yet, causing them to be short several thousand tons in mineral supplies.

And amidst all this lethargic confusion, Pain, the only man who probably could have taken charge, was missing.

_"What do we do if he_ is_ gone?"_ Asked Yoma from the inside of his ship.

Jonathan shrugged. His ship was docked and he was sitting in his private cabin, clean from the ectoplasmic goo that surrounded him when he was in his pod. He was fully dressed in a black trench coat with a tan t-shirt beneath. His pants were black leather with gray shoes. He was lounging in a leather chair, leaning back with his feet propped up on the consol. The console had a massive holographic screen was nearly five feet tall and seven feet wide. He had a cigarette between his lips and was sucking the chemicals into his lungs, feeling the stimulants relax him instantly.

_"If he's dead then we have no idea why he wanted us in this wormhole, or how to proceed. We'll likely return to empire space as soon as possible,"_ he replied after taking a particularly long drag of his narcotic.

_"But Pain obviously thought there was something valuable inhere if h was so Hell-bent on moving and _entire fucking alliance _in here,"_ answered Yoma. _"I mean, one doesn't just issue an order like that on a whim… Do they?"_

"There's been greater stupidity in this galaxy before. I wouldn't be surprised," Alen muttered from his ship. A tone sounded from his console and he reached forward to it. "Op, sorry, got another call."

_"Same here."_

_"Yeah me too."_

Alen's eyes narrowed for a moment before hitting the receiving button. Instantly his screen was replaced by a distorted image of what looked_ somewhat_ like Pain. His hair was noticeably shorter, and the piercings were different, but he still had those weird purple eyes with rings in them.

_"Greetings. I'm sure many of you are curious as to my whereabouts. Unfortunately, I cannot share them with you at this time. Know that I am safe and secure. I send this message to all corporation CEOs in this space. Continue with operations as previously discussed. I will contact you in person soon." _

The message ended, being prerecorded, and his communication line with the other CEOs reconnected immediately. The other three appeared on screen. _"You all saw that right?"_ Yoma asked with hesitation, as if he didn't believe they had.

_"Yeah, we saw it…"_ Reyta said.

"Well, the twat's back, might as well do what he says." Alen said, getting up and ending the conversation, getting a response of grave nods before the line cut. He turned and looked out his cabin window. The dock was cramped now, with tons of excess materials now lying around the ships they were unleaded from. Ironic that only a week ago they were cannibalizing other useless ships to repair the bigger and better ones. Now they didn't know what to do with all of it. Alen took a moment to bring out a datapad and scroll through the list of pilots getting new ships.

Reneden had lost lots of armor, but it had been replaced easily enough.

Apollos had almost lost his ship in a sabotage mission, but had returned barely intact. It too had been repaired.

Raidden Hetoquis had lost his Caracal, but as his skills with ships and equipment weren't all that good, it would take mediocre equipment to replace his ship.

Josiah Valorous, better known as Method, had lost his Hurricane and had gone back to Empire space (since the wormhole was still up and running) to get a Drake, which had better defenses and used missiles, which were far better at destroying large amounts of enemies.

Black Lister had scraped his Myrmidon and had gone back in a shuttle to get another ship and supplies. When asked what he was going to get he said he didn't know.

Hutchie had gotten a bit scratched but the amore needed to repair him was minimal.

Pennywise had lost several fighters and drones, and a cargo ship had already been sent through the wormhole to get more for his carrier.

And the other sixty or so minor members had either left to get their new ships now, or had decided to wait to get theirs from the assembly arrays around the POS. New ships _were _being constructed, but it would take time. Some were willing to wait, most not. It was probably for the best, since they never knew when the unknowns would attack again. But even so, they had over five hundred ships here now. They would have plenty; five times the amount they'd had before.

All that was left was for him to get to work too. "Damn I hate mining." He said as he headed out to get into his Hulk, the biggest mining ship they had available.

* * *

Pain walked in with a duo of thin boxes under and arm. He saw the two teens stop their talking to look at him. Walking over calmly, he placed the boxes beside him on the seat and sat down himself. He didn't say anything, but to Naruto, he didn't seem to look down at them, as he had done before, but seemed to gaze at them evenly.

"I have something I need to tell you. Both of you."

They both blinked at his curiously.

"It concerns how we got here, and your relationship." Naruto instinctively gripped Hinata's hand tighter. His eyes narrowed.

"I could show you, but too many memory transferences will cause extensive brain damage. So I'll just tell you, and when you feel you're ready, I'll transplant them."

The lovebirds looked at each other and nodded, then nodded at Pain to continue.

Pain took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After a moment he spoke. "We all know that we somehow appeared her out of nowhere, and we assumed we came here from our world. What we didn't know is that those are old memories."

The duo looked at him confused.

He continued. "Let me start at the beginning; where our memories leave off..."

"It was an impossibility when they came. They descended from the sky in metal creations we'd never dreamed of making. Their golden walls adorned with advanced weapons we could not hope to counter. At first they came with the intent to conquer, but not three days after they attacked, they stopped. In those three days; however much they didn't want to, the Five Kages sought we Akatsuki out and were willing to pay us to fight with them against the invaders, due to their increasingly massive casualties. It was unnecessary. I only fought one battle. I won, needless to say."

"But the next day all attacks stopped. They didn't leave though; their floating castles still hovered in our sky, as if taunting us with their presence. But there was little we could do. Even our longest weapons could not reach them. The fourth day, a new ship appeared in the sky and descended to the earth. This was strange as they had always landed troops via smaller shuttles. We thought they had brought something to finish us off that would need direct transport. However, when the strongest of us went to investigate, we found a large amount of enemy troops. But they did not attack us. They were on edge, but when they saw us they made no notion to attack us. They seemed unsure, but calm."

"We stood at a stale mate, neither of us attacking, however much we wanted to. Then, at about midday, a large ramp on the underbelly of the vessel descended, and several rows of guards stood on either side of the middle of the walkway, and out of it came a woman clothed in almost feudal regalia. She carried herself with authority and power. Her eyes scanned the crowd before resting her gaze on a select few of us. Me, you two, the Kages, and probably others I did not care to notice. She was obviously looking at the most powerful among us."

"She proceeded down the ramp, her soldiers obviously assured that since she was here they were safe."

Pain smirked as the two listened intently now.

"She came to a stop before us and announced _'I am the thirteenth Amarr Empress Avaris Ardishapur. Who among you do you name as leader?'_ Naturally we didn't understand her. It took hours to figure out what she was trying to say, and even then it was with gestures and body language. I was quite tired of waiting and stole the memories of one of the guards. He died of course, and it was obvious they wanted to kill me for it, but they paused when I spoke their language."

"'We are the leaders of this world. What is the meaning of this attack?' I said. She was obviously taken aback by my sudden comprehensible speech. She repeated her earlier declaration and continued. 'We are on a crusade to conquer the unholy and obtain that which is ours by divine providence. It is our manifest destiny.' Having absorbed the soldier's memories, I knew what she was talking about."

"They were a space faring race that had only just discovered stellar travel a few hundred years before. Highly religious, they believed they had the right to enslave and destroy anything they wanted, because their god told them to. But, she told us that she would spare our planet, if we would become one with their little 'empire.' I translated to the Kages and they felt they didn't have much of a choice. I know how many _more _soldiers and ships they had, and we did not have the power to fight them off. It wouldn't be for many years that I learned why exactly she had spared our people and world. The power we had, we _have_; Chakra. With it we can do anything, and she claimed she felt god tell her we were a chosen people, a people who would guide Amarr on its road of manifest destiny."

"Whether she really heard her god's voice or not didn't matter. What did matter was that the notion was correct. Ten years went by and out planet was considered a 'holy land' where Amarrians would travel for enlightenment and worship. We didn't mind it. Most of us were having difficulty adapting, and having others who knew the ways of life we were learning was a godsend. The pilgrims were more than willing to help us. They worshiped us. Our power, our way of life. But we kept to ourselves. Our cities were off limits. Only towns and tourist centers allowed the wandering peoples of that empire."

"We were their mystery, their legends, their dreams, their bedtime stories… We didn't like it, but at the same time, filled us with pride and joy. We still had our little in-fights, but they were minor. However, one particular fight changed our lives forever."

"Kabuto, who had discovered your heritage wanted our Uzumaki blood for experimentation. The longevity we were fabled to have piqued his interest greatly. During the fight he was gravely injured, but he succeeded in capturing you. He did nothing untoward with you, but he did drain you a majority of your blood. You have the Kyuubi to thank for your being alive afterward."

Naruto looked down at his belly and place his free hand on it as if in a deep, sad daze.

Then he looked up before Pain could continue. "Our."

"Excuse me?"

"You said 'our Uzumaki blood.' What do you mean by that? And what do you mean my heritage?"

Pain deliberated on that for a moment. He supposed he could handle it. From behind Naruto and Hinata came, once again, Human Realm who placed a hand on Naruto's head. "This one won't hurt so bad." It said.

There was a brief twinge of pain as the information trickled into the Kyuubi container's mind. Sorting through them in an instant, Naruto felt an unknown tear flow down from his eye.

"Kaa-san…" he mumbled dreamily, his eyes glazed over in fond remembrance of his mother. Then after a moment, tears still streaming down his face, his eyes widened and he looked at Pain. "Nii-san…?"

Pain smiled slightly. "Yes Naruto, you and I are cousins. The Uzumaki clan's blood flows through both of us. Well, all three of us actually."

Both Naruto and Hinata looked at him in surprise. He explained it with a chuckle.

"It happened long ago. Hinata, as a Hyuuga you know that every chakra signature, or rather, every human's chakra is different, correct?"

Hinata nodded, her hesitating slightly at how Pain said her name as if he were her friend.

"It's possible to use another person's chakra to heal someone but what you all don't know is that when you put your own chakra into someone else, their chakra system takes it and changes it so it isn't harmful. It's like a blood transfusion, but instead of needing an exact blood type, any chakra will do, as your own chakra will alter it to flow with the rest of yours."

Naruto nodded, understanding. "Several times, Naruto, you two shared chakra and your unique Uzumaki chakra forced itself onto her system, altering certain aspects of her chakra and physical DNA. Over time, her blood adapted to yours and gained the same longevity you and I share. "

Naruto nodded, along with Hianta, who while outwardly look normal, inside was squealing with joy that she and Naruto now shared similar chakras and that she would live as long as Naruto, however long that was. It was romantic and relieving in a way; for a moment after Pain mentioned longevity, she grew cold, realizing that Naruto would live much longer than her. Now her heart calmed down and pumped softly.

"But I digress. Now where was I…? Oh right, Kabuto. He kidnapped you and stole a lot of your blood. When you were finally rescued, Kabuto had gone. It wasn't long after, while you were recovering in the hospital that he came back and offered a serum that would gradually change one's DNA to incorporate the Uzumaki DNA, at least as far as long life was concerned. We took him in warily. He claimed to have been forced to capture you or he would have gotten nowhere. It would be another month before we found that his serum worked perfectly. It was at the end of that month that you awoke. But by then Kabuto had fled. But he left us with a gift."

"By using the blood from those already injected, we were able to spread the drug any who wanted it. But it was also a secret; if any average ninja found out about it, they would have attacked us in a heartbeat. We had to be very careful. Still today it is a secret we share with only the select few."

"W-what does this have to do with where we are right now?" Hinata asked quietly.

"Keep that in mind, it will come up later." Pain replied. He continued easily enough. "Over time our people _did_ adapt and learn to live the way the Amarrians did, minus the religious fanaticism. We learned advanced sciences, mathematics, trade, technologies, and skills. We could fly their ships as easily as they could. We had reached their level at long last. That was nearly a decade after the Amarrians came to us."

"Hundreds of years passed and we were happily allowed to migrate to other planets. This is where our legacy began."

Pain paused and closed his eyes. Both Naruto and Hinata looked at him, still not quite sure how to process the information. Of course, they thought he had finished. He had not.

He opened his eyes again, his Rinnegan glowing faintly. "That was over twenty-two thousand years ago."

Both of the teen's eyes widened immensely. Naruto was the first to speak from the resulting silence.

"You're fucking with us… right? You've gotta be totally fucking with us!" He exclaimed loudly, almost unsure whether he should believe the man or not.

But Pain made no indication he was going to recant. In fact, he made no movement at all, but simply stared at Naruto with hard eyes. Naruto realized Pain wasn't lying and his expression changed to one of shock. He leaned back in his seat, his eyes wide and his mouth slack. Hinata sat similarly, her hand clutched tightly in her love's. She couldn't believe it, so she asked the question; "T-then if that's true… How are we still alive?"

Pain continued, his expression unchanged, "I told you that Kabuto had created an 'Uzumaki drug' that would increase one's life. Naruto and I, with his Kyuubi and my Rinnegan were able to live much longer than any other Uzumaki. And you, with your constant exposure to him, allowed you the same life span. Any other Uzuamki would have died long before. We are not ageless though, we do age, just very slowly. In those twenty two thousand years, I can honestly say we've only aged about a year in appearance."

"But not long ago, a process called cloning came into practice. It creates and exact replica of your body that grows like any other human being. Another technology called the 'capsule' allowed one to link his mind to the vessel he is flying. The combination of these two technologies created 'pod pilots.' There is significance to this."

He continued solemnly. "Let me go into some details. When a ship is destroyed, the capsule is ejected like an escape pod and if capable of getting away easily. But if by some chance the pod is destroyed, as soon as the internal computers detect a hull breach, the pod takes a sort of picture of your mind and sends it remotely to the facility you have your clones stored in suspended animation."

"The mental information is then downloaded and the clone will awaken. This is where the story of how we got _here_ begins. "He looked at the two with interest. "I'll tell you this now; this is not the same galaxy as we were born in."

They both widened their eyes, but only in slight surprise. They knew (from their new information) that inter-galactic travel was nearly impossible, but they had just assumed that this was the galaxy they were found.

"We lived in the galaxy we called New Eden. That is our home. But anyway, when this technology came out it was quite buggy, but it was fixed not long after. We tried it, and we liked it. As long as we had clones, we would never die. We would live forever, unable to be completely killed. Clones would still age, but even that was slowed because of our blood. Our people's best pilots formed an independent alliance of corporations, using it to gain funds and make a name for ourselves in galactic society."

"But one day it all ended. Almost Seven months ago..."

"...What happened?" Naruto asked curiously.

"You, Hinata, Konan… _everyone's _clones were destroyed, and then so were we."

Naruto blinked in surprise.

"With no clone for our memories to go to, they were re-directed to a backup batch of clones we had created in an abandoned station years before. Just in case. But that was foiled. Only part of the information got downloaded before the stream was interrupted. I had been away when the assault had happened. Apparently a massive bounty had been placed on us, and you had been destroyed for it."

"Who was it?" Hinata asked, becoming disturbed at all this information.

"…" Pain hesitated. But his Rinnegan eyes glowed bright as he spat out the name of the man who had tried to destroy them.

"Uchiha Madara"

Both of the teen's eyes widened. They were struck speechless.

"I'd heard of your destruction, and the loss of contact. I feared the worst. I double-timed it to the secret facility and found Madara there. He'd interrupted the data stream and was attempting to teleport all of your clones into himself. I managed to stop him, but it came at a price. I was able to interrupt his teleporting ability, but I didn't stop it. It still teleported your bodies _somewhere._ But at least I saved you."

Pain smiled. "It's fortunate I had so many bodies. I lost five of them. Only Human Realm remained. Using him, I managed to collect the remaining information from the machines and stored it in him. He now had every thought and memory from everyone who had disappeared. "

Naruto nodded understanding. "That's why you were able to give me that information a moment ago? Because they were my memories you stored?"

Pain made a "not really" face and continued. "Well, yes and no. See, I searched for you guys for two years, using every resource I had to find you. I had no luck until a wormhole, I assume you two know what those are, opened and I instantly felt a connection to it. See, my own clone had also been sent away, so I could feel it clear as day, functioning in _this_ galaxy. Using my alliance to gain a foot hold, I was able to, as Human Realm, blitz here and transfer the information to my own clone; me."

Naruto held up a finger. "Wait, so you have your clone… transfer our collective memories into _another_ clone?"

Pain nodded.

"What about your original body?" Naruto said, barely realizing that until a few days ago, he didn't even know Pain had an original body. Damn that information transferring!

"It was one of the ones to be transported here. Five of the Pains were destroyed in the incident with Madara and the clones of them were taken away."

Naruto scratched his head. "Damn that's confusing." Hinata had to admit, even though she was smarter than Naruto (in some cases) even she was having trouble understanding.

"Wait, why didn't you just inject this knowledge into us too?" Naruto asked.

"The information I gave you last week was the equivalent of forty years of experience and knowledge. Forty years equals one week, and that's with advanced healing. Do you really want me to inject twenty-two thousand years of memories into you? It'd be easier to wake someone up from a coma." Pain said with mild exasperation, but humor in his voice.

"What about Hinata? She doesn't have advanced healing." Understanding why Pain didn't do it, but not realizing that Pain himself didn't know anything about this until after Naruto and Hinata has fallen unconscious.

"That was tens of thousands of years ago. Things have changed in that time. Her… experience with you has caused a natural high-speed healing factor to appear in her."

Naruto's eyebrows rose in surprise. He turned to Hinata with a smirk but then it quickly turned into a slight frown. "Wait, what do you mean by experience?"

Pain chuckled; an oddity Naruto was just experiencing for the first time, as far as he remembered. "You seriously didn't think you were both alone for those millennia did you? Don't forget I have access to your memories. I know the love you two had for each other. You got married about a year after the first contact with the Amarr empress."

Naruto smiled with sudden happiness. "Really? Wow Hinata, we're an old couple!" He laughed lightly and gave her his foxy smile that infected her face and caused her mouth to curve upwards as well.

Hinata thought about it and realize they must really have loved each other to remain married for all that time. _'I wonder how many kids we could have had in that time…'_ Though she thought of it lightly, she suddenly grew red at the thought of not only having Naruto's children, but having a multitude of them.

"So how many kids did we have?" Naruto said as if he'd read her mind, suddenly sounding proud. He crossed his arms over his head and leaned back, resting an ankle on his opposite knee.

Pain chuckled, unnerving Naruto for a moment. It would probably be something he would have to get used to. Pain raised a hand to his chin and thought. "If I remember correctly, or rather, if _you_ remember correctly, you have seven kids."

Naruto's smile suddenly turned into a saucer-eyed, slack jawed expression, and his balance was suddenly lost and he fell to the floor in a disbelieving heap. Hinata for her part had gone read with embarrassment, though didn't faint, and was only able to stutter-mutter out, "S-s-s-seven…? That's so many!"

Pain laughed heartily. "Yes it is isn't it? I'm surprised you had so few. From what I can see in both of your memories, you two did it so much I was sure you would have an army of sons and daughters roaming around with you." Hinata seemed to retreat into her shoulders at the mortification.

Naruto, who'd been laying on the floor muttering out "s-seven k-kids" every so often suddenly grew red faced and stood up, pointing an accusing finger at Pain. "Hey! Stay outa those!"

Pain simply laughed again. "Trust me, I'm trying. Also, there was another reason I didn't give you your memories."

Both teens used the new subject to regain their composure. They looked at Pain with expectation.

"You've both only rediscovered your love for one another. I didn't think it appropriate to muddle it with the experienced love of your past so soon, or without your consent."

Naruto had gotten back up and sat down again next to Hinata. He looked serious for a minute before speaking. "Are we happy?"

Pain nodded. "Very."

"Then it's ok. Our current relationship just proves that we're soul mates. To have fallen in love again…" He looked at Hinata longingly. She did the same, her gentle, sweet smile capable of breaking even the coldest of hearts beaming brightly at the blonde.

Pain smiled and nodded approvingly. "In that case, to make things easier for everyone, I'll create a seal that will slowly leak your memories back to you every day."

Naruto looked surprised. "You can create seals?" Pain merely tapped the corner of his Rinnegan eye in answer.

Both Naruto and Hinata nodded in understanding, excitement suddenly filling their bodies. A Rinnegan user could create any jutsu they wanted, seals included.

"But for today, spend the day together. And on that note…" Pain reached beside him to the boxes he'd brought in with him. "I brought you both a pair of clothes. I guessed your sizes, but I think they'll fit just the way you want them."

He handed one box to Naruto and the other to Hinata. Naruto opened his and pulled the contents out. It was a crimson red shinobi flak jacket with a spiraling red cloud embroidered on the back. Underneath it as a black Tee with jagged red lines flowing from the collar down to the hem. The pants were next; they were cargo pants that reached well below his ankles. The basic shinobi shoes were directly below those, and were a jet black color. And of course, the last thing in the box was a forehead protector. It was black, fitting with the rest of the outfit and the straps were long, reaching the middle of his neck. Engraved in it was the Akatsuki cloud, but with s spiral dead center within. He wondered the significance before he remembered that Pain had said something about being in an alliance called Akatsuki. But the spiral was unknown to him, except that nearly every leaf shinobi had it adorned somewhere on them.

Hinata opened hers to reveal a black flak jacket with midnight blue sheen, as it was somewhat reflective. On its back was the very same blood red insignia as Naruto's, contrasting with the rest of the jacket. The shirt underneath was also a Tee, but was a plain, pale lavender that accented her eyes perfectly. The pants were a simple black just like she normally wore. The shoes were identical to her normal high-heals as well. Last of all, her headband was a navy blue and was normal sized.

"Wow… these are nice!" Naruto cried out as he turned them this way and that like a kid at Christmas. Hinata's eyes shone with happiness as she ran her hands over the clothing.

"T-they're wonderful, Pain-san." She said with glee.

"Please Hinata, call me Nagato. That's what you always call me."

Hinata realized he was talking about their unknown past, but obliged him. "O-ok, Nagato-san." She didn't quite feel familiar enough with him to regard him as close as he desired. Pain chuckled and shook his head. It would do for now.

"Why don't you go try them on?" He suggested, and they both nodded, Hinata heading to the room and Naruto (waiting until the door had closed) simply dressed on the spot. It didn't take him long. Meanwhile pain spoke to him.

"You both took the news of being twenty thousand years old pretty well. Surprisingly."

Naruto paused in his dressing to regard that statement. "Yeah, we did. I guess it's only because the full eight of that hasn't hit me yet. At least, that's how it is for me. It'll probably hit me later when it's the least opportune," he muttered.

He finished dressing and looked at himself in the window, seeing his semi-transparent reflection. "Damn I look good! I bet all the girls in that other galaxy were falling for me, huh?" Naruto boasted half-heartedly. Pain laughed and shook his head, deciding not to tell him how much girl troubles he actually _did_ have.

Naruto wore the new cloths well. The pants sagged a bit but weren't too loose, though had they been he could have gotten a belt. His new headband was tied to his forehead, sitting snuggly where it should and shining brightly in the sun. The vest he left unzipped showing the shirt beneath. Pain noticed he should get some shinobi gloved to complete the picture. _'_That's_ what I was forgetting.'_

With Naruto finished, he sat down and waited for Hinata to emerge. It was nearly ten minutes, and several "why do girl's take so long?" comments later before the door opened. Naruto and Pain both stood, looking expectantly at the open doorway. Hesitantly, Hinata stepped out and into the sunlight. Naruto's expectations were blown and his face turned an unhealthy shade of red.

Her she looked just like she had when he came back to Konoha, except that instead of a jacket, she now wore the vest. She had opted to zip it closed, but even so, her ample bust could be seen pushing against it, though not in discomfort. Her new headband now hung from her neck, the shirt contrasting with the blue cloth, but that vest accenting it perfectly. Her hips were easily visible, the pants hugging to them.

One arm hung limp from her side while her other reached behind her back and held onto the elbow of the other. Her pelvis was stuck out slightly and her head hung a little low. But her cute smile and pale pink blush made her look like an angel to Naruto. She appeared a bit uncomfortable in a Tee, but she wore it well, her milky, smooth skin gleaming in the light.

Naruto slowly moved over to her in amazement. "H-how do I look?" she asked simply.

Her answer came in the form of a pair of hands on her biceps. Picking her head up, she saw Naruto before her, his eyes roving up and down her body in ecstatic approval.

"You look beautiful Hina-chan! I've never seen someone as… _amazing_ as you... ever!"

Hinata blushed at the compliment. Suddenly she felt her arms dragged from her side and behind her to in front of her. Naruto let his hand slide down her arms to her wrists, holding them tenderly as if they were ancient pottery. He admired the texture of her skin, the fine hairs of her arm bending over as his fingers brushed them. When at last he reached her hands, he held them before him. Then, in an act of impulse, he pulled her to him and captured her mouth in a tender kiss. Hinata's eyes went wide and her blush darkened, but she did not resist. Instead she leaned into the kiss, wanting to feel the love Naruto was so fervently trying to express.

Pain simply stood in the background smiling. But his had a double reason; he was enjoying the romantic scene taking place in front of him, and, it was also the last time he would need to have this talk (he'd already talked to the other Akatsuki members). Now that Naruto and Hinata knew of the situation, he could finally relax a little.

* * *

**Planet: Coruscant**  
**Location: Jedi Temple - Archive Library**

A bronze bust of Count Dooku stood among a line of other busts of Jedi in the Archive Room. Obi-wan stood in front of it, studying the striking features of the chiseled face.

On the walls, lighted computer panels appeared to stretch into infinity. Farther along the room in the background, several Jedi were seated at tables, studying archive material.

After Obi-wan studied the bust for a few moments before Master Jocasta Nu, the Jedi Archivist, is standing next to him. She was an elderly, frail-looking human Jedi. Tough as old boots and smart as a whip.

"Did you call for assistance?" She said, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Yes... yes, I did..." Obi-wan replied distantly.

Nu, realizing what his distance was about looked at the bust as well. "He has a powerful face, doesn't he? He was one of the most brilliant Jedi I have had the privilege of knowing."

Obi-wan nodded. "I never understood why he quit. Only twenty Jedi have ever left the Order."

Jocasta Nu sighed. "The Lost Twenty... Count Dooku was the most recent and the most painful. No one likes to talk about it. His leaving was a great loss to the Order."

"What happened?"

She sighed sadly. "Well, Count Dooku was always a bit out of step with the decisions of the Council... much like your old Master, Qui-Gon Jinn."

Obi-wan's eyes widened and he leaned forward. "Really?"

"Oh, yes. They were alike in many ways. Very individual thinkers... idealists..." She gazed at the bust. "He was always striving to become a more powerful Jedi. He wanted to be the best. With a lightsaber, in the old style of fencing, he had no match. His knowledge of the Force was... unique. In the end, I think he left because he lost faith in the Republic. He believed that politics were corrupt, and he felt the Jedi betrayed themselves by serving the politicians. He always had very high expectations of government. He disappeared for nine or ten years, then just showed up recently as the head of the separatist movement."

"It's very interesting. I'm not sure I completely understand," Obi-wan said shaking his head.

Nu smiled and patted his arm. "Well, I'm sure you didn't call me over here for a history lesson. Are you having a problem, Master Kenobi?"

"Yes, I'm trying to find a planet system called Kamino. It doesn't seem to show up on any of the archive charts."

"Kamino… It's not a system I'm familiar with... Let me see..." Nu leaned over Obi-wan's shoulder, looking at the screen he was now seated at. "Are you sure you have the right coordinates?"

Obi-wan nodded, pointing to the screen as he spoke. "According to my information, it should be in this quadrant somewhere... just south of the Rishi Maze."

Jocasta Nu taps the keyboard and frowns. "No coordinates? It sounds like the sort of directions you'd get from a street tout... some old miner or Furbog trader."

"All three, actually," he mumbled humorously.

"Are you sure it exists?"

"Absolutely."

"Let me do a gravitational scan."

Obi-wan and master Nu studied the star map hologram.

"Hmm, there _are_ some inconsistencies here. Maybe the planet you're seeking was destroyed," Nu guessed.

"But wouldn't that be on record?" Kenobi asked, looking at her and then back to the screen.

"It ought to be, unless it was very recent." She shook her head. "I hate to say it, but it looks like the system you're searching for doesn't exist."

Obi-wan turned from her and focused on the screen, tapping a few keys futilely. "That's impossible... perhaps the archives are incomplete."

Nu turned to him and in an almost offended tone responded, "The archives are comprehensive and totally secure, my young Jedi. One thing you may be absolutely sure of; if an item does not appear in our records, it does not exist!"

She noticed a young boy approach and turned from the Jedi master and left with the youngster. Obi-wan continued to slave over the console for a few minutes more before he decided could figure it out later. Then an idea popped into his head. Accessing the galactic search engine, he put his hands to the key board. "M-A-D-A-R-A…" He hit enter.

Very little came up for the word: several sentences where the word was used as part of other words or phrases, but nothing as far as people went. He shook his head in slight frustration. It was probably fake name, but even so, names had cultural backgrounds. Even phonetically the word would at least bring up something. But there were hardly even those results. He'd have to be sure to visit Dex's again when he had the chance.

* * *

"I know your there. Samehada can taste your chakra easily." Kisame said. He stood on a small overhang, and under it was a large river. To a normal bystander, the following scene would look quite freaky. The water seemed to rise until it formed the shape of a man, and the shape of the man colorized, revealing deep shades of vilet and light sheens of blue and tan.

"That's a handy little ability you have there, Kisame-senpai." Suigetsu said as he finished forming from the water, the Kubikiri Houchou strapped to his back and a smirk on his face.

Kisame smirked and looked behind him. "You guys too."

Juugo stood up from the bushes. Out of the trees behind him stepped Karin, and on the branch above her was Sasuke. "What do you want?" He demanded.

"My my, how cold of you. No 'hello,' 'how are you?' You really are turning into your brother."

Instantly Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "I'll _never_ be like my brother," he said with finality.

Kisame only smirked more, knowing the truth of their pasts that they no long remembered. "If you say so. But in the meantime, I don't suppose you guys could use a ride outa here." He said turning away from them and walking.

Sasuke's eyes hardened and he followed immediately. Suigetsu and Karin both made as if to argue with him but were silenced by Juugo who explained. "The Akatsuki is offering us to take him to Itachi. That's why he is following him."

"That's not exactly the smart thing... What if he's leading us into some sort of trap?" Karin questioned, Suigetsu nodding behind her.

"All the more reason for us to go with them, in case it is a trap." And Juugo followed after.

Suigetsu shrugged his shoulders and brushed by Karin, giving her a smirk as he knocked her off balance.

"Watch it Suigetsu!"

He merely wave behind him, brushing it off. She huffed in annoyance and adjusted her glasses. _'I don't care what karma throws at me, I will _never_ get along with him!'_

If only she knew the truth of their past.

She followed as well.

* * *

**A/N: And there you go! The mystery of their position has been revealed! Hope you guys liked it. I tried/wanted to add more details into how the whole cloning thing works, but I could only do so much before the flow of the story was affected, so if there are areas you don't understand, I'll try to address them in the following chapters. Or if you don't want to wait you can ask me and I'll try and explain it as best I can. In case you were wondering, I'm giving the Star Wars plot some time extensions to fit with the rest of the story. Sorry if it seems off. Anyway, I hope you guys liked it! And have a Happy Thanksgiving! **

**Next chapter will include the long awaited interactions of shinobi and Jedi. Look forward to it!**


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